Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
Confused About Curfew? One Of Those Messages Was Meant For Glendale
Conflicting curfew notifications were sent to L.A. County residents on Monday, June 1, 2020. The one on top was meant only for Glendale residents. (Jacob Margolis/LAist)
At about 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Los Angeles County lit up phones with another Wireless Emergency Alert notifying residents that a curfew would be in place from 6 p.m. Monday night until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Two minutes later, phones across L.A. County blared again, this time with the message, "Curfew now 5pm-6am."
Confusion and frustration reigned as people tried to figure out what was going on.
They just changed the LA curfew to 5pm from 6 @MayorOfLA @ericgarcetti what the fuck are you doing. What a mess.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) June 1, 2020
Why was the curfew seemingly moved up by an hour in just two minutes? It was a mistake.
The initial message came from the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. The second one did not.
"It was definitely a surprise. It was not something that was planned," said Helen Chavez, associate director for the L.A. County OEM.
Sponsored message
Chavez said the message came from the city of Glendale, which was trying to communicate a 5 p.m. curfew — that only applies to Glendale.
"The intent was to send it to those within Glendale's boundaries," said Eliza Papazian, public information officer for the city of Glendale. "At this moment we're working with the platform that we use to send these notifications to perform an analysis and determine what occurred exactly."
That platform is Everbridge, the same company the city of L.A. uses to distribute its Wireless Emergency Alerts. The system notifies residents of natural disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, and mudslides.
When asked why L.A. County didn't send out another alert to clarify the mistake, Chavez said they were trying to avoid "WEA fatigue." Because the curfews were so close to one another, they instead reached out via the media to clarify.
Cities with earlier curfews include:
- Beverly Hills — 1 p.m.
- Long Beach business district — 1 p.m.
- Santa Monica — 1:30 p.m.
- Long Beach — 4 p.m.
- Culver City, 4 p.m.
- West Hollywood — 4 p.m.
- Glendale — 5 p.m.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
