Some 60 Los Angeles businesses were charged with misdemeanors by the City Attorney’s office last week for allegedly opening their doors despite LA Mayor Eric Garcetti’s stay-at-home order.
Sexy Hair Salon on Pico Blvd, Merri's Grooming Palace in Woodland Hills, Ten Goose Boxing Gym in Van Nuys, Lanna Massage in Sherman Oaks and Beach Cities Car Wash in Venice are among the businesses cited, according to a list City Attorney Mike Feuer released.
In addition, some 162 businesses were found to be in violation by health inspectors who surveyed 410 businesses over the weekend, according to media reports, and 27 were ticketed.
“Mayor Garcetti obviously is upset that people are ready to be done with this,” said San Diego Attorney Shawn McMillan. “Is his approach the right approach? No, I think it's a lot heavy-handed and it shows a disconnect between the harsh reality of the street and what he would like.”
At least one business has had their power and water shut off for violating Mayor Garcetti’s stay at home order as previously reported and, on May 13, Mayor Garcetti issued a modified Safer at Home order under which gyms, fitness centers, barbers, hair salons, movie theatres, concert halls, massage studios, bowling alleys, bars and restaurants that do not serve food remain closed.
“This order is based upon the following determinations: evidence of continued and significant community transmission of COVID-19 within the County, continued uncertainty regarding the degree of undetected asymptomatic transmission, scientific evidence and best practices regarding the most effective approaches to slow the transmission of communicable diseases generally and COVID-19 specifically, evidence that a specific portion of the County population is at risk for serious health complications, including hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19," the order states.
At a Facebook Live press conference on May 15, Mayor Garcetti said his intention is not to overly restrict people but rather to keep them safe.
“I certainly don't want to see lines of police and sheriffs and local law enforcement,” he told journalists. “That's not ever the role I imagine for them. We've got to get through this together not with a police state but with good behavior. “
However, Rex Parris, mayor of Lancaster, said that what Mayor Garcetti could do instead is to develop rules that all people can live with.
“If you wear masks, if you have plenty of hand sanitizing stations, you sanitize areas periodically and you try to never take the mask off in situations where you might violate the six to 10-foot rule, this virus is easily contained,” Parris told the Southern California Record. “What we're doing instead is forcing people into economic distress, terror or ruin even and so, yes, they're going to start violating the rule.”
As of May 18, 2020, there were 81,795 positive coronavirus cases and 3,334 fatalities statewide, according to the Department of Health, and in Los Angeles County alone there were 38,477 positive coronavirus cases and 1,839 fatalities.
“All of us will have public health direction until there is a cure or herd immunity,” announced Mayor Garcetti. “It’s something that we will need to continue to have the discipline to live by and with that discipline will come greater freedoms for all of us.”
However, a lawyer who sued state officials on behalf of Kevin Muldoon, a City of Newport Beach councilman, told the Southern California Record that it’s becoming more difficult for public health orders to withstand scrutiny.
“As time goes on and we have more data, there’s more evidence emerging that the coronavirus is not as widespread as we initially thought,” said Attorney Bilal Essayli of Newport Beach. “It's not as contagious as we initially believed and the mortality rate is not as high either so it’s becoming harder to justify these orders.”