COVID: Councilman wants LA to issue minimum-$100 fines to people who refuse to wear masks in public
Calabasas, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills are already enforcing a similar rule.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz on Wednesday introduced a motion that would authorize the city to issue fines to people who don't comply with Mayor Eric Garcetti's order to wear masks in public amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Koretz' motion, the first violation would result in a $100 penalty, followed by a $250 citation for the second violation and $500 for the third and subsequent violations.
"I've been a strong proponent of residents wearing masks to protect themselves and others from contracting the disease since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic,'' Koretz said. "I'm glad that the mayor has added the requirement to his Safer L.A. order, but it is past time to actually enforce mask-wearing if people will not protect themselves, their families and their neighbors, especially the most vulnerable.''
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Koretz said California's COVID-19 cases will continue to rise if more aggressive action is not taken to enforce the preventive measures. Various levels of government have instituted mask "requirements'' throughout Los Angeles County, but none have been strictly enforced in the city, Koretz said.
Elsewhere in the region, the cities of Calabasas, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills are already enforcing a similar rule.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health noted that young people accounted for roughly 57% of new COVID-19 cases as of July 21, and many of these cases could have been avoided if mask requirements were taken more seriously, Koretz said.
