Petition Seeks To Repeal L.A.'s Indoor Vaccine Proof Mandate
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles City Clerk approved a petition for circulation Thursday that aims to have the L.A. City Council or voters repeal the requirement that people show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before entering certain indoor public spaces and outdoor mega-events.
The proposed ordinance would repeal the city's proof of vaccination requirement to enter the indoor portions of a myriad of businesses, including restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, movie theaters and nail salons.
It also requires people to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend outdoor events with 5,000 or more people, which is stricter than the L.A. County requirement, which applies to outdoor events with 10,000 or more people.
The city began enforcing its law on Nov. 29 after being passed by the City Council on Oct. 6.
According to the L.A. City Charter, the petition needs 15% of the total votes cast for the most recent mayoral election, which was held in 2017. If the petition receives enough signatures but the city council does not adopt the ordinance, it will be presented to voters. The city clerk said Thursday that it needs 64,785 registered L.A. voters to sign the petition within 120 days of the completed petition's filing. The petition must also be filed within two years of its approval.
If the petition is successful and the ordinance is repealed, the city would revert to the L.A. County vaccination requirement. That order is slightly less strict but requires proof of vaccination at indoor events with more than 500 people, bars, breweries, wineries, nightclubs and outdoor events with more than 5,000 people.
The petition's proponents include Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County Executive Committee members Daniel Welby, Aaron Bonn, Shawn Osborne and the party's treasurer, Christopher Stare.
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)