Sheriff Won’t Comply With County’s Enforcement of Employees’ Vaccination

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva Feb. 8, said he won’t comply with a mandate requiring deputies be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face termination. The Sheriff claims thousands could leave the department and that will lead to more crime.

LA County Board of Supervisor Janice Hahn issued a rebuke to Villanueva’s defiance to the order that was approved last summer by the Board, stating, “Villanueva is putting both his deputies and the public they come face-to-face with every day at unnecessary risk.”

Villanueva, who faces a reelection challenge next year, has defied other health orders during the pandemic, like not enforcing a mandate requiring vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks at indoor public settings.

The Los Angeles Police Department last week reported 70% of its officers and civil employees were fully vaccinated. Under the city’s policy, LAPD employees who don’t want to get vaccinated have an option to get tested twice per week at their own expense.

Los Angeles with a populace of 10 million people has the largest sheriff’s department in the country, with about 10,000 sworn deputies and 5,800 civilian employees. More than 3,000 deputies and other department employees still have to register their vaccination status with the county. Those who registered and reported their status as unvaccinated include more than 3,100 deputies and 1,000 civilians who could be subject to termination, Villanueva said, adding that  the 3,100 figure is nearly the size of the department’s patrol operations.

Villanueva has said he is vaccinated but believes others should make their own choice and not be forced to get shots. The sheriff has the power to terminate employees. With Villanueva refusing to follow the policy it’s not clear whether anyone in his department would lose their jobs.

Despite the Oct. 1 deadline, the county only now is sending notices to those who have failed to register and get vaccinated. 

Los Angeles International Airport Police Chief Cecil Rhambo, who is running against Villanueva, said the mandate should be followed.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement, it’s unfortunate that Villanueva won’t discuss a solution.

“I am committed to supporting and listening to our sheriff’s rank and file to get to the bottom of what barriers and obstacles they are facing so we can reach a resolution,” she said. 

Supervisor  Barger subsequently released another statement Feb. 9 in response to the Board’s vote to have the county’s Department of Human Resources assume the authority to enforce County employees’ compliance with vaccination requirements, which you can find below.

“This action is in response to an individual – Sheriff Villanueva, to be specific. To change a policy over one individual isn’t appropriate. 

“Our county’s COVID-19 employee vaccine mandate is an important part of our commitment to keep the public safe from a deadly virus – but not at the expense of decreasing services we are obligated to provide.

Our Board should not seek an approach that erodes the management responsibilities of our county departments’ leaders nor results in the mass firing of essential workers. We still have an invaluable opportunity to broker solutions by working with labor union leaders – we have not exhausted that course of action. 

Victims, their loved ones and the public at large want elected leaders to address the crime surges impacting our county. Now is the time to do all we can do and explore every possible option so that we can keep our residents safe.”