The president of the union representing Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said Thursday the union was “blindsided” by an executive order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all county workers.
County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis issued the executive order late Wednesday, citing rising case numbers attributed to the infectious Delta variant of COVID-19, and saying, “the need for immediate action is great.”
James Wheeler, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, said in a statement Thursday that after learning about the order on Twitter, “we are still examining the complex issues related to” the order.
“ALADS, like other stakeholders, was completely blindsided by this hastily issued order, which will affect more than 100,000 county employees,” Wheeler said. “We believe the Board of Supervisors should have collaborated and communicated with the parties who stand to be impacted by this. Instead, we were notified of this sudden shift in policy overnight via social media. We sincerely hope Hilda Solis put more thought into any issues related to this executive order than she put into the manner in which she announced it.”
According to ALADS, the union had already begun labor talks with Sheriff Alex Villanueva over a directive requiring deputies to be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID testing. The union’s attorneys are reviewing the order, and ALADS sent a letter to Solis to notify her the union is “asserting its bargaining rights over her decision.”
Responding to the union comments, Solis said she was legally authorized to issue the order, and said employee unions will be consulted.
“Additionally, under the second directive of the executive order, the chief executive office is to engage with the county’s labor partners regarding the effects of the vaccination policy,” Solis said. “This means that CEO will meet and confer with labor partners.”
In issuing the order Wednesday, Solis cited an 18-fold increase in cases and five-fold jump in hospitalizations since June 15, when the county lifted coronavirus restrictions amid falling case rates. She said there will be exemptions for medical and religious purposes — but otherwise, it will apply to all of the county’s 110,000 employees “regardless of the department they serve.” Employees will have an Oct. 1 deadline to be vaccinated.
Solis also said that, as board chair, she has the power, during a proclaimed local emergency, “to promulgate orders and regulations necessary to provide for the protection of life or property.”
“We are once again demonstrating to employers across the county that we are prepared to lead by example and set a standard for slowing the spread — just as we did when reinstating indoor masking, which has since been emulated by varying degrees by the CDC (the federal Centers for Disease Control), the state and localities across the country,” Solis said.
“We must all be prepared to come together and do our part to protect one another and get this virus under control once more. We cannot wait another day as this virus continues to upend and dramatically alter the lives of our residents. With today’s executive order, the county is prepared to lead, and I am hopeful other employers across our great county do the same,” Solis said.
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FatWhiteBob says
As long as the county health department is requiring proof of vaccination or negative convid test to enter the LA coliseum, and bars it’s absolutely necessary that first responders be vaccinated.
If they can respond to public venues and not be vaccinated why the hell as citizens of the same county should be we forced to be vaccinated to enter these places.
Vaccinate or quit!
Alby says
Some communist basterds with cooties that’s involved in American politics wants Americans to be subjected to their b.s. ways and it all starts with whipping and molding and bending the authorities to there will so that the authorities can do it to the public.
Tim Scott says
yeah your comment for whatever reason was flagged by the moderation algorithm to be checked by a human…probably due to keyword usage…if there is a troll farm attack in progress the editors probably had to add some pretty common usage words to the filters
anyway, once flagged it goes onto the pile to be checked, and I doubt that the AVTimes has a herd of staffers just waiting for things to appear on a Sunday afternoon…there was probably already a huge pile from Saturday, come to that…so look for maybe your comment to show up Monday afternoonish?
Tim Scott says
Assuming this is true…since more than half the population is fully vaccinated why are deaths skewed ten to one towards the unvaccinated Mikey? Normal distribution would say over half the deaths should be among the vaccinated, if the vaccine isn’t providing anything. So rather than dispute your little “fact,” which I will go see about verifying in a few minutes when I am done verbally mopping the floor with you, I’m just going to tell you that you are obviously either ignoring or not understanding the context of your “fact” because if you could actually follow what you yourself are typing you would recognize that you are MAKING MY POINT for me.
If I thought it was intentional I’d thank you, but I actually assume you did it not out of kindness in your heart but vacuum in your head.
Rightside Up says
Requiring that all LA County employees be vaccinated, about 110,000 people, is a huge decision. Actually, requiring that anyone be vaccinated is a big deal, it goes against all of our rights. The world is a completely different place than it was before the pandemic and drastic measures like this may help but they may not.
It is my preference that all people would choose to be vaccinated and get it done as quickly as possible, that way we can evaluate the results and determine next steps. Without the united approach we really cannot tell what we are up against.
Currently about 55% of Los Angeles County residents are vaccinated, that number is probably more or less consistent with LA County employees so this executive order will impact about 50,000 people.
Even though I don’t like it and communication was poor to non-existent, I think Hilda made the right decision.
Tim Scott says
The world IS a completely different place than it was before the pandemic. Everyone got that smallpox vaccine, period. They said silly things like “for the common good” and stuff, but…
Oh.
You meant THIS pandemic.
Yeah there was a nitwit in the white house and this one was mishandled from the jump.
Mike says
It’s funny how all the liberals use their vaccination status as a virtue symbol to chastise the unvaccinated. Did you all forget how back in late 2020 when then Prisident Trump announced that a vaccine for COVID was coming? All the big liberals like Biden, Harris, Newsom, Pelosi, and the liberal media were all saying they would not trust a vaccine if the federal government recommended it. Fast forward 18 month later and you all have a convenient case of amnesia. Get on the internet and search the videos of these people making these very public statements. Now they want to “mandate” vaccines?
Tim Scott says
They, and I, didn’t “trust” it…they got it tested. Trump is a penny ante huckster and if a pharmaceutical company offered him money to push a fake vaccine through the FDA he’d let them inject his own mother with it. That’s why numerous states, including California, did independent testing of the vaccines.
Sandy says
Some of their officers won’t be able to immediately return to work, after their inoculation. That vaccine makes some of us sick. Very sick. For more than a month.
Tim Scott says
Gee, what will we do with slightly fewer badged thugs on the streets? By the way, if they are too sick to work for a month after getting vaccinated they probably have the kind of weak constitution that means if they were to catch covid unvaccinated it may well kill them, so then we would be short a thug for even longer. Surely you don’t want that?
Deputy Dog says
Please get over yourselves and protect the people your paid to protect by getting the vaccine, there are a thousands of examples but I will spare us all from making you look foolish. Get on board and let’s move along!
Mike says
Tim Scott your wear your badge of hypocrisy proudly. You call cops thugs, meanwhile, you seem perfectly fine with the real thuggery that occurs on a daily basis in our community by the real criminals; gang bangers, dope dealers, pimps, and thieves. The incidence of police misconduct is minuscule compared to the 99.9% of men and women in the law enforcement community who do the job with honor and integrity. Your rants are not convincing. You just seem like an old angry and miserable person.
Tim Scott says
See, I don’t agree with that 99.9% part. I think there are a pretty solid number who are in fact thugs, bullies, and “gang bangers.” If the LASD is an indication of “typical” you have the Vikings, the Banditos, and the Santa Clarita Clique, all of which if they weren’t under cover of the badge would easily qualify as gangs.
Then we have the “do the job with honor and integrity” part. I am not saying that “all cops are badged thug gangsters,” but it takes more than saying “well, I’m not bad myself” to qualify as “a good cop” with me. The blue wall of silence that knows these bad cops are there, and through lack of courage or solidarity or whatever just allows them to continue…and then stands aside when their union protects them if they ever do get caught…those aren’t good cops.
So at the end of the day, again, I am not saying they are all bad, or that a majority are actual badged thugs, but the bad definitely outnumber the good and the vast see of “not bad” cops don’t change that.
FatWhiteBob says
I believe honor and integrity is actually extremely rare within LASD, and it use to be even worse.
Tim Scott says
It also used to be better, depending on the time frame. It definitely took a huge dive when the sheriff’s department offered safe harbor to any really bad characters that had to escape the LAPD before the reforms after the Rodney King incident got them fired. I’d say that was maybe the lowest low point. Before that was probably better than now.
Alfred says
I was a sick puppy. Day after my second Moderna jab, I thought I was going to die. Shaking off the side-effects, it’s taken three months. I think it’s all for naught. It’s not going to save me from the virus. Not from any virus.
Tim Scott says
Your sob story anecdote has been previously addressed and dismissed.
What does everyone with a sob story about the hardships of getting vaccinated have in common? They are alive to whine about it.
There are 600,000 plus USians that would dearly love to have been vaccinated who are not alive to tell you what a sad sack whiner you are.
Stinger says
It’s been dismissed.
Move along. Move along.
Tim Scott says
By anyone with sense. As in, their sob story doesn’t really make any and only the people who are advocating against a vaccine that is demonstrably preventing death give it any credence at all.
So tell us, why are you advocating for death? What’s in it for you?
I have been assuming that this was mostly about the typical human “I am looking for agreement so I can feel like I am right.” People who have fallen for some stupid reason and are not getting vaccinated just looking for validation. But I have recently become aware that most of the really loud advocates for “don’t get vaccinated” have actually been vaccinated.
There’s a doctor in Florida. He skipped the only standby of treating illness for the far more lucrative selling of quackery over the internet. He is making millions selling vitamins that “ease the pains of covid, that’s just a bad cold and can be dealt with by taking (his brand) of vitamin C.” His financial interests are best served by more people getting covid, and he doesn’t really care how many of them die.
There are people who made huge profits from selling short against the stock market when they understood that massive economic chaos was coming (many of them having inside information, and yes we can assume the Trump organization did well). Those people I am sure are happy to see another covid driven lock down and market crash and are establishing short positions. (okay, I admit I am one of those, though a tiny fish myself…and I would rather lose a bit this time than have people dying)
So, what’s your story chuckles? How are you profiting from extending the pandemic, since that seems to be your goal.
Melissa says
Not your kinder-gentler vaccine. I know, as a fact, after their 2nd jab, at least 10% of those officers will not be fit for duty.
Tim Scott says
100% of people who die from covid will be “not fit for duty.”
Stinger says
You are correct… The vast majority of deputies who get their shot will not be fit for duty… for ONE day. Period. Whereas, if they don’t get the shot, they can be unfit for duty FOREVER.
I’m not gonna lie about this: my shoulder hurt like hell after each of the shots – for about a day. After that, the pain dulled and went away completely within another couple of days. I got wimpy on the second shot and actually took a couple of Advil, but I would have been fine without it. I did feel a bit lethargic on the day after the first shot, but was fine after the second (don’t think the Advil was related to that). All in all, I would MUCH rather deal with that inconvenience than the risk of serious illness and potential death and spreading it to somebody else who’s higher risk than I.
Considering the exposure that public safety personnel have with so many contacts in each shift, getting the vaccine is really not a difficult equation to work through. In fact, it’s kind of a ‘duh’.
Stinger is an Idot says
You took Advil with the vaccine! You are a dumb a$$.
Paul Jones says
Yea only the labor members of public safety unions get sick. Get over yourselves and protect those you supposedly serve.