L.A. Mayor Admits City Was Reopened Too Quickly

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has admitted that the state initiated its reopening process too soon and said the city is “on the brink” of new restrictions but did not elaborate.

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“I think a lot of people don’t understand, mayors often have no control what opens up and doesn’t — that’s either at a state or county level,” Garcetti said. “And I do agree that those things happened too quickly.”

Despite his statement, Garcetti is allowed to issue closure and stay-at-home restrictions that are stricter than those issued by the county or state.

“Our timing on opening may vary from other parts of the state,” Garcetti said in early May. “I will reopen our city with careful consideration, guided by public health professionals.”

As for strategy, Garcetti had this to say: “So I want to be more surgical. I want to go into those factories where we’re seeing spread. I want to go into those communities, especially our lower-income communities. … I think we have to be surgical rather than a cleaver that would just shut everything down.”

Numerous studies have shown that low-income areas have been hit by COVID-19 at a drastically disproportionate rate as compared to other areas. 

[Via]