Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is threatening to disconnect water and electricity service to private homes that defy his orders barring large social gatherings, calling local reports of parties by younger people “flagrant violations of health orders.”
The threat is similar to one he issued in April to businesses that defied his “safer at home” directive amid the initial outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Garcetti said beginning Friday that if police respond to repeated complaints of large gatherings and confirm violations, in “egregious” cases the city will instruct the Department of Water and Power to discontinue service to the residence.
“While we have already closed all bars and nightclubs, these large house parties have essentially become nightclubs,” Garcetti said Wednesday. He then indicated he would hold them to similar scrutiny — "the same thing we would do with businesses.”
Garcetti said he and the Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer were confident disconnecting public utilities from a private home was legally defensible.
“You’re breaking the law,” he said. “Just as we can shut down bars breaking alcohol laws, in places that are in criminal violations, we can shut them down.”
Garcetti’s latest action comes two days after one woman was shot to death and two others were wounded at a mansion party in the upscale hillside neighborhood of Beverly Crest that drew hundreds. Police suspect the shooting was gang-related.
Police were initially called to the home at about 6:30 p.m., having received at least five complaints. They enforced traffic and parking violations but not the county health department order prohibiting large gatherings.
"It was a private party," police Lt. Chris Ramirez told local NBC affiliate KNBC. "It’s like me going to your house and telling you what to do on your own property."
California has experienced the most confirmed infections of the novel coronavirus in the United States, 532,745, and the third-most confirmed deaths. As of Wednesday, it had a seven-day moving average of 6,698 new daily cases, although that has been declining since reaching a peak of 10,261 on July 25.
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