LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department faces the loss of 4,000 deputies if the Board of Supervisors makes good on its 4-0 Tuesday vote to terminate all county employees who refuse vaccinations or exemptions.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has called the decision to enforce the vaccine mandate a "death blow to public safety" in the past, saying he would lose dozens of personnel, therefore meaning fewer patrols for the county.
The motion preliminarily approved Tuesday was authored by Supervisors Sheila Kuhl and Holly Mitchell, who said overall county employee compliance was far greater than that of the Sheriff's Department.
As of Feb. 1, more than 80% of the county's 100,000 employees were fully vaccinated, according to City News Service. But at LASD just 60% of staff have complied with the mandate.
And as that trend continues, the two supervisors note that a large number of COVID-related worker's compensation claims are being filed by the very same LASD staffers who are refusing to get vaccinated.
Prior to the motion, the Board has little power to discipline LASD employees for violating the mandate. With the motion in place, the county's personnel director would have "overriding authority to discipline employees of any county department for noncompliance" with policies or directives.
Before the vote, Villanueva spoke against the motion, urging supervisors to "de-escalate, dial back the rhetoric and find some common ground."
The amendments will be reviewed by the board at their March 15 meeting, for final consideration and approval.
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