The Los Angeles Police Department escalated its feud with Mayor Eric Garcetti this week, after the mayor asked officers to scratch at “party houses” by reporting on houses hosting large gatherings for the city, so that the water and electricity at these dwellings can be closed off.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Garcetti last week authorized plans to cut off water and electricity supplies from people who are in public health. Under the mayor’s directive, LAPD officials responding to large gatherings may request to cut utilities within 48 hours. Houses where parties regularly perform are the target, the mayor said.
‘Mayor Garcetti wants to rethink policing. “He should send his civilian personnel to cut off people’s electricity and cut off their water,” the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) wrote on Twitter. “Let officers deal with the rise in shooting and murder in LA. We need a leader and not a political contortionist. ”
LOS ANGELES TO CUT OUT WATER, POWER OF PROPERTY HOSTING LARGE GATHERINGS
Jerretta Sandoz, vice president of the union, told the Los Angeles Times that it should not be the job of officers to be involved in shutting down services. “He wants to use policemen when it benefits him politically,” Sandoz said of the mayor.
The police union and the Democratic mayor have clashed since the mayor reversed the course earlier in the year to increase the police budget in the wake of widespread protests over rational injustice and instead reduced the budget for law enforcement.
Sandoz said officials are already responding to holiday homes by issuing warnings and quotes, but said it is “not our job” when it comes to working with the Department of Water and Power (DWP). She said it could increase tensions in the relationships between community members and residents.
“If we were trying to bridge the gap between community relations and the police, why would we go out on a call like this, which would cause more friction?” Sandoz said.
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Police union leaders have accused Garcetti and LA City Council members of hypocrisy – saying they praised officer tactics during recent demonstrations of police brutality in private talks with union representatives, but publicly blamed them officers for social tensions.
DWP spokeswoman Michelle Figueroa said as of Sunday, the utility was not asked to shut off water and power at any “party houses”.
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Even before coronavirus, Los Angeles struggled to cut back on home parties in Hollywood Hills and other neighborhoods. Some residents said homeowners and property managers rented houses to be the site of large parties with loud music and heavy drinking.
