Up to 4,000 members of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) are facing dismissal after refusing to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Tuesday that members who refuse the vaccination will get fired from the department.
According to the reports, before the proposal goes into effect, it would need approval from the Board of Supervisors during the final vote on March 15.
However, following the approval, the proposal sparked controversy and critics including L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva who quickly condemned it.
According to Villanueva, the decision would only put public security at risk.
“Showing deliberate indifference to the obvious impact on public safety, the Board hid behind an alleged threat to public safety they couldn’t back up with data,” Villanueva claimed.
“Tellingly, the Board’s own County Counsel (Rodrigo Castro-Silva) couldn’t offer even a basic legal opinion on the legality of the Board’s motion, or the obvious legal challenges they will face.” he added
“It is important to remember Department personnel who chose not to vaccinate are required to submit to weekly COVID testing and have committed no administrative offense,” the sheriff continued.
Critics claimed that the decision to fire unvaccinated personnel can affect the public security & safety considering the spike in violent crime and the department has been saddled with a hiring freeze.
“Homicides in Los Angeles County have increased 94% over the last two years, but that didn’t stop the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors from terminating 4,000 sheriff deputies last night,” statements read.
