Most California counties will be under a nighttime curfew beginning Saturday to combat the coronavirus surge, but several Southern California sheriffs have indicated they will be taking a hands-off approach to enforcing the new order.
The sheriffs for Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange counties all say they will be focusing on educating residents to foster voluntary compliance, rather than taking punitive measures against violations.
On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a limited stay-at-home order for counties in the most-restrictive purple tier of reopening. That currently includes 41 counties, among them all of those in Southern California.
Starting Saturday, all nonessential work, movement and gatherings must cease between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The order will last until Dec. 21 but could be extended.
The move comes only days after the state imposed restrictions limiting business operations in those 41 counties, which have the most significant increases in virus cases.
Three of the four Southern California sheriffs who have responded to the curfew so far are taking a soft approach, emphasizing education and persuasion.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said his agency would take the same approach it has since March, focusing on “education and voluntary compliance, with criminal enforcement measures being an extreme last resort.”
Law enforcement will rely on Angelenos to “assess risk and take precautions as appropriate,” he added.
In Orange County, Sheriff Don Barnes deputies would continue an “education-first approach.”
“At this time, due to the need to have deputies available for emergency calls for service, deputies will not be responding to requests for face-coverings or social gatherings-only enforcement,” he wrote.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco emphasized the importance of following public health orders and staying home when possible. But he said his department’s policy has been to “encourage responsible behavior and compliance.”
“To ensure constitutional rights are not violated and to limit potential negative interactions and exposure to our deputies, we will not be responding to calls for service based solely on non-compliance with the new order or social distancing and mask guidelines,” Bianco said.
Sheriff John D’Agostini of El Dorado County, near Sacramento, also issued a blunt statement that he will not enforce the curfew.
“We will still address reports of criminal activity related to public safety and our El Dorado County citizens,” the statement read. “The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office will continue to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.”
But San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore on Thursday announced a “full-time law enforcement presence” to get more businesses to comply with California’s tightening coronavirus restrictions, joining one of the most aggressive enforcement efforts in the state.
San Diego County has issued 52 cease-and-desist orders since Monday — sternly worded letters demanding that violators start following health orders. Gore assigned four teams of two deputies each to accompany health inspectors delivering the cease-and-desist orders, which threaten misdemeanor prosecution and $1,000 fines.
Gore made a rare appearance at a county coronavirus briefing to make a “full-time commitment” to seeing that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders on business restrictions stick.
Sheriff’s deputies will respond to complaints only, Gore said, as opposed to going door to door or searching for violations.
