The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department says he will not enforce the city's latest vaccine mandate, fearing that he will lose employees in protest over what he called a 'politicized issue.'
Sheriff Alex Villanueva claims large numbers of his 18,000 employees are ready to quit if they are ordered to get be vaccinated.
LA County public employees had until October 1 to provide proof that they were fully vaccinated, while city employees have until October 20.
LA City Council also passed a law on Wednesday requiring customers at nearly all indoor venues to show proof of vaccination by November 4.
'There are entire groups of employees that are willing to be fired and laid off rather than get vaccinated, so I don't want to be in a position to lose 5 per cent, 10 per cent of my workforce overnight on a vaccine mandate,' Villanueva told the LA Times.
LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva, left, said he would not force his employees to get vaccinated as LA Mayor Eric Garcetti is expected to sign sweeping vaccine mandates
The LA Sheriff's Department is the largest of its kind with about 18,000 employees
The LA Sheriff's Department is the largest sheriff's department in the US with about 18,000 employees, according to the department.
Villanueva added that with the city's mandate and 'defunding effort' against officers, it was 'the worst of two worlds' for law enforcement.
Earlier this year, the sheriff also stood against the city's indoor masking policy, which he claimed was 'not backed by science.'
The Sheriff's Department has not said how many employees were vaccinated and did not immediately reply to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
Villanueva received both praise and criticism online for his stance.
One Twitter with the name Paige Carita wrote, 'If you hold a position where people have no choice but to interact with you, you have a professional obligation to do everything you can to keep those people safe and healthy. Anything else is negligence.'
While another person on Twitter with the handle Cali Momma wrote, 'Good for him!!! A cop that's brave enough to run into an active shooter situation can make his own mind up about his health any day.'
People posted tweets to praise or criticize the LA Sheriff Department's Office
Others on Twitter called on those officers who refuse to get the vaccine to be fired for failing to uphold the new law.
'Call His Bluff,' a Twitter user with the handle Quatrain Gleam wrote. 'The ones who will leave are those who reject civilian oversight and the duty of public safety.
Another Twitter user with the name SandaBlueDeux wrote, 'Those officers who refuse to get vaccinated should immediately be removed as they obviously do not understand the responsibilities of dealing with the public.
'Let them use their freedom to find jobs better suited for them that doesn't require contact with the public.'
The LA Police Department had also had officers break rank over the city's mandates as nearly 40 percent of officers have not gotten a shot as the city's October 20th deadline looms, The Rolling Stone reports.
We are almost at a standstill,' says William Briggs, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, the city's civilian oversight board. 'Officers are refusing to be vaccinated; they are taking a hard line.'
About 78 per cent of eligible residents of received at least one jab of the vaccine, with more than 6 million fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Nearly 78 per cent of eligible to get the vaccine in LA County have gotten at least jab
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti intends to sign the vaccine mandate, his spokesperson said
A councilmember said mandates are a necessary incentive for the stubborn vaccine reluctant
The city's latest measure, which Mayor Eric Garcetti is expected to sign into law, is the strictest in the nation and requires proof of vaccination to enter gyms, restaurants, bars, hair salons, and more.
Unlike other city-ordered mandates, Los Angeles applies a plethora of walled establishments, excluding grocery stores and retailers such as pharmacies.
The rule also applies to large venues, meaning proof of inoculation is needed to catch a live L.A. Lakers game at The Staples Center, or a concert at the city's famed Hollywood Bowl.
The ordinance, which takes effect November 4, passed with a 11-2 vote, despite pushback from anti-vaxxers and some local businesses.
The California Restaurant Association vocally opposed the measure ahead of today's vote.
Los Angeles diners will soon have to produce proof of vaccine to gain entry into restaurants
Association president Jet Condie said in a statement that the measure fails to address 'the safety risks to our workers who are expected to enforce a measure that, frankly, brings out the worst in some customers.'
LA Mayor Garcetti will sign the city's mandate, his spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
'Vaccinating more Angelenos is our only way out of this pandemic, and we must do everything in our power to keep pushing those numbers up,' Garcetti said in a statement.
'These new rules will encourage more people to get the shot, and make businesses safer for workers and customers — so that we can save more lives, better protect the vulnerable, and make our communities even safer as we fight this pandemic.'
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