LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva will address vaccine mandates, which he calls an "imminent threat to public safety" if terminations occur in his department, Tuesday at a news conference in downtown L.A.
The news conference is set for 11 a.m. at 211 W. Temple St. in the Hall of Justice, according to Alba Ibarra of the Los Angeles County Department's Sheriffs' Information Bureau.
Villanueva warned the county's vaccine mandate is causing a "mass exodus" in the sheriff's department and public safety is threatened as a result.
"I have repeatedly stated the dangers to public safety when 20% to 30% of my workforce is no longer available to provide service, and those dangers are quickly becoming a reality," Villanueva said in a statement last week.
"We are experiencing an increase in unscheduled retirements, worker compensation claims, employees quitting, and a reduction in qualified applicants."
Villanueva added he expects homicide rates in the county would continue to rise, and response times would increase with patrol services declining as a result of a reduction in department personnel.
"With the pandemic waning, there is no justification for the board mandate," the Los Angeles Times reported Villanueva saying on Sunday. "It is like putting up the storm windows after the storm has passed."
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ratified an executive order in August that required all county employees, including sheriff's deputies, to register their vaccination status by Oct. 1 on an online portal. Religious and medical exceptions were allowed.
Villanueva said last month he would not enforce the vaccine registration mandate.
Tuesday's news conference will be broadcast live on the LASD social media accounts. To watch on Facebook, click here. To watch on Villanueva's Instagram account, click here.
Follow KNX 1070 Newsradio
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Related
Related
