Unions representing Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority personnel have come out against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members. The announcement was made last week following a statewide order mandating vaccination for those who work in “high risk” fields.
A spokesperson for the O.C. Sheriff’s Department told The Orange County Register that about 1,500 of its 3,800 employees qualify as high-risk workers under the order. Those employees will have to provide the department with proof of vaccination or undergo COVID-19 testing on a weekly basis.
The state mandate is expected to go into effect on Monday, Aug. 23.
Employees who fail to comply with the new rule may be disciplined at the department’s discretion, a spokesperson told The Register.
Juan Viramontes, president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, told The Register he opposes any discipline for employees who refuse the vaccine and that the union’s attorneys are considering a lawsuit to challenge Sacramento’s order.
“Organizations that threaten employees to compromise their personal beliefs should not be tolerated,” Todd Baldridge, president of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, echoed in a statement.
Presently, the O.C. Fire Authority has not enacted a mandate for any employees.
Timothy Williams, a retired LAPD detective, told KNX earlier this month that law enforcement officers who refuse the jab not only pose health risks to the public and their own families, but colleagues as well—something police unions should be sensitive to.
He noted that over 500 law enforcement officers have died on the job this year alone. “How many of these [deaths] were preventable if they had taken the COVID-19 vaccination?” he said.