All Los Angeles County employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 1 under an executive order issued by Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis.
With the coronavirus again raging, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, Solis said, “the need for immediate action is great.”
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. In announcing the executive order Wednesday night, Solis 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.” The order came on a day the county announced another 3,734 COVID-19 cases — the largest single-day number since the beginning of February. The new cases gave the county an overall total from throughout the pandemic of 1,311,656.
“Today, the county is reporting another 3,734 new cases, 1,242 hospitalizations, and tragically, 16 deaths,” Solis said in a statement.
“When the county marked its reopening on June 15, there were only 210 confirmed cases, fewer than 220 were hospitalized with COVID-19, and the positivity rate sat at an incredibly low 0.6%. However, with the rapid spread of the Delta variant, our daily cases have increased nearly eighteen-fold and hospitalizations more than five-fold. As vaccinations continue at a pace slower than what is necessary to slow the spread, the need for immediate action is great.”
Solis said the Oct. 1 deadline provides county workers with a timeline in which they can consult with their healthcare providers. She 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.” On March 4, 2020, the Los Angeles County Health Officer issued a declaration of local health emergency due to COVID-19.
Solis’ order is more sweeping than mandates elsewhere in the country and the state of California which state that government employees get vaccinated or agree to regular testing. Solis’ executive order does not include a testing option. In her statement, Solis indicated she hopes other employers in the county will follow her lead.
“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.
[View the executive order here.]
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William says
For years, the right wingers and other idiots have come and GONE here.
They can’t stand “facts” and after they push their lies for months on end, they depart with their tails tucked up their a$$es.
Where’s John Evans? Remember his brilliant posts?
There are others but they aren’t worth remembering.
Apparenlty, those of us of the “liberal/reality” persuasion endure. Funny how that works.
Beecee and Sonya shot their best shots, such as they were, and went hiding. How many times can you call someone a “nerd” or a “coward” when you have nothing else to say. That’s those 2.
William says
Stinger.
I keep waiting for a smart person on the right side of the aisle to post something intelligent here.
I am going to grow old and die before that ever happens. There aren’t any smart people on the right judging from their comments here.
I offered a million dollars if someone could show us an intelligent post by Beecee. Crickets.
Stinger says
Ah, William, you may be heartened to know that these trollish tribbles are merely the extremists. Their minds are, necessarily, warped so that they can continue to spout their dribbling drivel even when faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This means that they no longer actually have self-will, merely programming by those that find them useful.
BeeEss is one of these unfortunate NPCs…
Tim Scott says
Intelligent people on the right, for the most part, got branded as RINOs and run out of the “movement.”
Sandy says
Ms. Solis
No one wants forced vaccinations not County employees or citizens!
Your so called “authority” was given to by the residents of Los Angeles. You don’t have a medical degree to enforce or even recommend any type of Medical treatment, and you don’t know how many more will be harmed or killed by the vaccine. I guess my body my choice only applies to abortions. You are a misguided soul. In your attempt to “lead by example” your leading many to their demise.
Willia says
Sandy, oh, Sandy
For decades we’ve had mandatory vaccinations going back to the 50s with polio and other diseases.
What you montrously fail to get is that vaccines are not just for you. They are so you won’t spread it to others. They lessen that risk .
But, in your selfish, self-enchanted way thinkiing like the Trumper you must be you missed that.
The orange states that are in crisis now are ones that have low vaccination numbers.
Sandy. Go move to Arkansas or Louisiana where the ICUs are over-flowing due to right wing stupidity and be sure not to wear one of those National Socialist Democratic masks and take your chances.
You aren’t welcome here any longer with your attitude.
Oh, and if you get COVID because you didn’t or get vaccines, STAY HOME. DO NOT BURDEN THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WITH YOUR IRRESPONSIBILITY.
Yeah. Just pray to a poster of Trumpa and you’ll be fine.
As for your body, take it with you when you leave California. We are sick of you and your ilk.
Trumpist#1 says
Who the hell are you, Auntie Maxine Waters?: “You aren’t welcome here any more”.
And I’m an ilk…yay!
Trumpist#1 says
But I agree 100% on everyone getting vaccinated.
Stinger says
Careful, there, Trumpy… That last statement was suspiciously close to acceptance of reality.
William says
Stinger.
Reality is for people who can’t handle drugs.
William says
Exactly.
“Welcome” is something one extends to others. Or, retracts.
It’s not an automatic thing.
You are free to go to an orange state and deal with their 3rd word mentalities.
So is Sandy. if she’s not happy here, move.
Tim Scott says
Sandy, while no one on the board of supervisors has a medical degree, they are fully capable of listening to people who do. Who are YOU listening to, since it is pretty easy to assume that you also lack such a degree? We can guess, based on the wildly overstated and ridiculously wrong things that you say.
You, Hilda Solis, myself; none of us can predict exactly “how many (more) will be harmed or killed by the vaccine,” but what those of us who are listening to doctors instead of clowns do know is that out of BILLIONS of people who have received the vaccine so far the number who have had adverse reactions is extremely small. It is on par with the adverse reaction rates of other vaccines, and you’ll notice that no one is squabbling for the return of smallpox or polio.
The phrase “leading many to their demise” is therefore absurd in this context. More than half the residents of the county have been vaccinated. Some dozens have had adverse reactions and of those some have “met their demise.” Presumably if the remaining residents were outright forced to vaccinate there would be some similarly small number of casualties. On the other hand, tens of thousands in LA county have died of covid, so far.
That does not count the people who died of other causes that would not have been fatal if the patient had access to typically available medical care, but did not have access due to the system being overburdened with covid cases. If you intend to try to shrug this off see the current situation in Texas, where the fourth largest city in the country, a metro area with over seven million residents, has NO available ICU beds. Car accident? Just die. Heart attack? Just die. Gunshot wound? Just die. Appendix burst? Just die. That’s life in Houston, and also in other major cities in Texas. Ted Cruz is no doubt headed for Cancun.
So here’s the question Sandy, who is really trying to lead people to their demise? Hilda Solis, or YOU?
Casper says
Dear Broom Hilda, I thought your group supports “My Body, My Choice”.
Stinger says
And you claimed to be the party of “facts, not feelings,” too.
You may not want to go down this path, amateur.
Casper says
Have another donut you old pro, and I’m not buying.
Stinger says
Y’know, it’s gonna be tough to establish an adversarial relationship with you if you keep complimenting me.
Tim Scott says
Your body your choice ends when your choice is “I wanna contribute to the further spread of a virus that has already killed half a million plus Americans.” Like all rights, there is an attached responsibility. Your right to speak out is tempered by the responsibility to consider the consequences of your words and not yell fire in a movie theater. Your right to follow the faith of your choice is tempered by the responsibility to avoid, or at least adjust the practice of, faiths that involve rituals of human sacrifice. And your right to make health choices for yourself is tempered by the responsibility to consider the impact on public health and the well being of your fellow citizens. There should be no surprise in that, and to be honest I am thinking your surprise is not genuine.