LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva Will Not Enforce Vaccine Mandate

As law enforcement officers and healthcare workers are being forced to choose between getting a vaccine or losing their job, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he will not enforce the city’s vaccine mandate.

In a video released on Thursday, Villanueva said that the issue of vaccines has become “too politicized” and did not wish to lose 10 percent of his workforce due to the mandate.

I’m not forcing anyone. The issue has become so politicized. There are entire groups of employees that are willing to be fired and laid off rather than get vaccinated, so I don’t want to be in a position to lose 5 percent, 10 percent of my workforce overnight on a vaccine mandate while the same time we are barebones with the defunding effort, so this is like the worst of two worlds.

Villanueva did not say if he would require officers to submit a weekly negative coronavirus test if they decide to opt out of the vaccine.

In unrelated news, Villanueva also says that deputies are now allowed to wear cowboy hats on duty pic.twitter.com/dYRiPqJ1CC

— Alene Tchekmedyian (@AleneTchek) October 7, 2021

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council approved an ordinance requiring vaccine passports for indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, and salons. Pharmacies and grocery stores were exempt from the mandate.– READ MORE