Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Nury Martinez announced they are pushing for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for city employees, including requiring employees to show proof of vaccination or weekly negative COVID-19 tests.
It comes as the Delta variant continues to create a surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations among the unvaccinated.
During a press conference, Mayor Garcetti said it was time for Angelenos to act again to save lives.
"We're facing a real threat and the only way we can gain the upper hand is by fighting back," Mayor Garcetti said.
Both Garcetti and Martinez encouraged residents to get vaccinated, with Martinez calling it "a pandemic of the unvaccinated."
"For those of you who are hearing this and are not yet vaccinated, what is it gonna take for you to get vaccinated?" Martinez asked. "For you to get sick? For you to be hospitalized and put on a ventilator? For maybe a loved one to have died of the virus? What will it take for you to realize that you should have gotten your vaccination?"
In addition the new requirements, the department heads will have to verify and keep track of their employees' status and submit reports with those details.
Employees who do not get vaccinated must show proof of a negative COVID test every week. The city says they are working with labor partners in regards to coming up with a plan.
The Los Angeles Police Department Officers Union released a statement saying, "We advise our members to consult with their personal physician about any individual concern or questions they may have about the COVID vaccines. We have yet to see any proposed vaccination policy, but we are prepared to meet and confer with the City to discuss any proposal and to ensure our members are treated fairly."
Earlier on Tuesday, Los Angeles Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas said in a statement that he planned to introduce a motion at Wednesday’s City Council meeting for a mandate for all city employees be fully vaccinated.