The sheriff of Los Angeles County, California, says his deputies will not enforce a newly enacted coronavirus lockdown order from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I want to stay away from business [sic] that are trying to comply. They bent over backwards to modify their operations to conform to these orders, and then they have the rug yanked out from under them. That’s a disservice. I don’t want to make them more miserable,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva told Fox 11 Los Angeles on Thursday in response to Newsom’s announcement that the state will impose additional restrictions on areas where ICU bed availability drops below 15%.
“The bottom line is, if we don’t act now, our hospital system will be overwhelmed,” Newsom said in a press conference.
Villanueva added that he was not contacted by the governor’s office and found out about the new rules during Newsom’s press conference, which he said is concerning when officers are expected to enforce those rules.
The sheriff added that his department will focus on tamping down “superspreader events,” and he believes large gatherings such as local sports team celebrations, Thanksgiving, and protests are to blame for the spike rather than restaurants.
Sheriffs in San Bernandino, Orange, and Riverside counties appear to agree with Villanueva.
“The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department tells me it is not their intent to have deputies respond to complaints about the Governor’s health orders,” Fox 11 reporter Bill Melugin tweeted. “Anyone calling to complain will be referred to an appropriate department to be addressed on a case by case basis.”
Sheriffs in Riverside and Orange Counties referred Melugin to previous statements they have made stating that they will not enforce Newsom’s orders.
The sheriff of Sacramento County, where Newsom resides, announced last month that his office would not be enforcing a coronavirus-inspired curfew imposed by the governor.
In response to a question about Newsom potentially withholding funding from jurisdictions that don’t enforce the health order, Villanueva said, “I sure hope the governor doesn’t want to revisit the playbook that came form [sic] the White House recently involving fires and withholding FEMA funds. I don’t think that would play out very well here.”
Earlier this year, Trump’s White House denied a request for additional relief in the aftermath of devastating wildfires in California following disagreements between the administration and Newsom on how to prevent wildfires effectively. The Trump administration eventually approved the request.
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
