Healthcare workers get vaccinated for COVID-19 at the Martin Luther King Jr Community Hospital.
(Chava Sanchez
/
LAist)
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The deadline for L.A. County employees to show proof of full vaccination came and went two months ago. Close to 20% have yet to comply.
More than 800 county workers have already been hit with a five-day unpaid suspension. After that, County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl says they get another month to get vaccinated.
“If you don't comply within that 30 days, you get a statement of intent from us, that we will discharge you. And that is what we intend to do,” Kuehl said.
In the meantime, those employees have to undergo regular testing that is paid for by the county.
The latest numbers indicate nearly 12,000 county employees, or about 12%, say they have not received the vaccine. Another 7,000, or 7% of employees, have yet to report their status.
As many as 4,500 are seeking a medical or religious exemption.
SEIU 721, which is the county's largest union, responded to the requirement in September. The organization said “the practical effective date” for disciplinary action would be at least late November, though the county slated it for Oct. 1.
L.A. County is facing multiple lawsuits over the mandate — including one from hundreds of firefighters who contend it violates their "autonomous privacy" rights.
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Fentanyl and other drugs fuel record deaths among people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County. From 2019 to 2021, deaths jumped 70% to more than 2,200 in a single year.
