The mayor of Los Angeles has announced that the city will be cracking down on residents who ignore social distancing measures in favor of throwing large parties by cutting off the water and power supplies to those homes, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Mayor Eric Garcetti made the announcement during a press conference on Wednesday night where he explained the utility shut-off will also apply to any businesses found to repeatedly host crowded gatherings in addition to city residences during the ongoing pandemic.
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The mayor’s statement began with Garcetti expressing disappointment in those “Angelenos” who haven’t followed social distancing measures.
“Recently we’ve seen the reports of some large parties and gatherings in flagrant violations of health orders,” he said, adding that the County Department of Public Health has revealed such events are the “highest risk settings” for transmission.
“The consequences of these large parties ripple far beyond just those parties,” Garcetti continued. “They ripple throughout our entire community because the virus can quickly and easily spread.”
Although nightclubs and bars have already been shut down in the city, Garcetti said house parties have effectively taken their place.
“Many times the homes are vacant or used for short-term rentals,” he continued. “And beyond the noise, traffic, and nuisance, these large parties are unsafe and can cost Angelenos their lives.”
Following a surge in reported parties, the city will be taking aggressive action in an effort to dissuade residents from hosting such gatherings.
As Garcetti explained, starting on August 7 the Department of Water and Power (DWP) has been authorized to cut off utilities to any “egregious” homes which have been verified by the LAPD has hosting large parties, and repeatedly at that.
“To be clear, while we hope you will avoid gatherings of all sizes, this enforcement is not focused on small and ordinary gatherings in people’s homes,” the mayor clarified. “These are focused on people determined to break the rules.”
Garcetti’s announcement comes on the heels of City Councilman David Ryu’s motion to increase penalties for home owners found to host large gatherings.
Introduced on Wednesday, the motion proposed permit prohibitions, or possibly even having a certificate of occupancy held or revoked for what Ryu classified as “large, close-contact, largely maskless gatherings, in direct violation of City Emergency Orders and County Health Orders”.
Another penalty did include water and power shutoff, though it’s unclear if Garcetti’s announcement is related to Ryu’s motion.
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Over the last few weeks, Los Angeles County has appeared in the news as high-profile residents such as athletes and YouTube stars continue to throw large parties.
At the end of June, Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub publicly called out YouTuber Jake Paul for throwing an “unacceptable” party with dozens of maskless guests who did not social distance.
Just a few days ago, an unidentified NFL player threw a large party at a Beverly Crest mansion which saw one person killed and two others critically injured after shots were fired.
The Los Angeles Department of Public Health has revealed the number of COVID-19 patients in the 18-29 age group has dramatically increased as large gatherings have, as well.
In an interview with Fox 11 , department director Barbara Ferrer confirmed infection rates among that group have quadrupled between June and late July. In fact, those individuals now represent twice the percentage of hospitalized virus patients in the county than they did in April.
As Ferrer explained, “These parties and gatherings with people not in your household hurt all of us as we try to reduce our case rates so we can get our children back to school and get other adults back to their jobs.”
h/t: CBS Los Angeles , Fox 11
