On Thursday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva reportedly asserted that he won’t force his deputies to enforce a new statewide stay-at-home order against businesses issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom and state health officials.
Bill Melugin of KTTV tweeted that Sheriff Villanueva “tells me he found out about the new stay at home orders from Governor Newsom’s press conference, and there was no coordination with law enforcement beforehand, which he says is concerning when the Governor is expecting enforcement of his orders.”
Villanueva told KTTV, “I want to stay away from business[es] 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.”
Melugin added, “Sheriff Villanueva says he believes the Lakers & Dodgers celebrations and Thanksgiving played a part in our recent surges, and that the civil unrest protests earlier in the year contributed to an earlier surge. Doesn’t believe restaurants, etc, are to blame.”
Sheriff Villanueva: "I want to stay away from business 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."
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 4, 2020
Sheriff Villanueva says he believes the Lakers & Dodgers celebrations and Thanksgiving played a part in our recent surges, and that the civil unrest protests earlier in the year contributed to an earlier surge. Doesn't believe restaurants, etc, are to blame. More at 10pm @FOXLA
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 4, 2020
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s website stated on Thursday that a new regional stay-at-home order had been issued. The site avoided naming Newsom, stating, “California health officials today announced a Regional Stay at Home Order that will be triggered if Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity drops below 15 percent in a given region.”
“Residents are required to stay at home as much as possible and minimize mixing to reduce unnecessary exposure, while still being able to do important things like go to the doctor, buy groceries, pick up take out, go on a hike, or worship outdoors,” the announcement states. “K-12 schools that are already open can remain open and retailers can operate indoors at no more than 20 percent capacity to reduce exposure risk. The public health order takes effect at 12:59 p.m. on December 5. Thereafter, if a region falls below the 15 percent ICU threshold, it will have 24 hours to implement the Stay at Home Order.”
“Regions will remain in the Regional Stay at Home Order status for at least three weeks once triggered,” the governor’s office warned. “Counties are eligible to come off the Regional Stay at Home Order after three weeks if their hospital ICU capacity projected four weeks out reaches 15 percent.”
Newsom stated:
We are at a tipping point in our fight against the virus and we need to take decisive action now to prevent California’s hospital system from being overwhelmed in the coming weeks. By invoking a Stay at Home Order for regions where ICU capacity falls below 15 percent, we can flatten the curve as we’ve done before and reduce stress on our health care system. I’m clear-eyed that this is hard on all of us — especially our small businesses who are struggling to get by.
That’s why we leaned in to help our small business owners with new grants and tax relief to help us get through this month. If we stay home as much as possible, and wear masks when we have to go to the doctor, shop for groceries or go for a hike, California can come out of this in a way that saves lives and puts us on a path toward economic recovery.
Further details from the website: all the following must be closed:
- Indoor and Outdoor Playgrounds
- Indoor Recreational Facilities
- Hair Salons and Barbershops
- Personal Care Services
- Museums, Zoos, and Aquariums
- Movie Theaters
- Wineries
- Bars, Breweries and Distilleries
- Family Entertainment Centers
- Cardrooms and Satellite Wagering
- Limited Services
- Live Audience Sports
- Amusement Parks
Only outdoor services can be held at places of worship.