L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that he ordered the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to cut off the water and electricity to any homes, venues, or businesses in violation of COVID-19 safety measures. 

BREAKING: L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announces he is authorizing the city to shut off water and power to any houses or businesses that are hosting any parties or unauthorized large gatherings. It will begin Friday night, and LAPD will respond, then contact DWP to cut it off @FOXLA

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 6, 2020

In April, Garcetti enacted a similar order that applied to any non-essential businesses that defied his “Safer at Home” mandate.

The announcement comes just days after Los Angeles police responded to a “gang related” shooting at a large house party in Beverly Crest. According to Garcetti, this order will help limit people’s right to assemble. 

“We’ve been clear from the beginning that getting together in groups outside of your household is not permitted, is not allowed. We’ve asked Angelenos not to gather or have parties,” Garcetti began. 

“By turning off that power, shutting off that water we feel we can close these places down, which usually are not one-time offenders but multiple-offenders,” he added.

While he acknowledged that the time separated from friends and family is difficult, he concluded that meeting together in large groups is still far too dangerous for the city because of the contagious nature of COVID-19. 

“The consequences of these large parties ripple far beyond just those parties,” Garcetti added. “They ripple throughout our entire community because the virus can quickly and easily spread.”

When asked by a local news outlet about the legality of these orders, Garcetti claimed that he discussed it with lawyers and that it is “rooted in strong law.”

Our anchor @Elex_Michaelson asked Mayor Garcetti about the legality of this. Garcetti responded that these gatherings are breaking the law. He says this decision is “rooted in strong law” after consultation w/ city attorneys. “We know we can do this,” he says. @FOXLA

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 6, 2020

Hours before Mayor Garcetti’s authorization, Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu suggested a motion that would penalize property owners for being “irresponsible” and refusing to follow public health orders. 

“Despite a pandemic that has killed thousands in Los Angeles, some homeowners are choosing to put everyone at risk by renting out their homes to massive house parties,” Ryu said. “This is irresponsible bordering on deadly, and it must be stopped.”

Under Ryu’s motion, property owners risk permit prohibitions or losing a certificate of occupancy due to “large, close-contact, largely maskless gatherings, in direct violation of City Emergency Orders and County Health Orders”.

“Whether it takes shutting off utilities or revoking their permits, we must do what it takes to shut these party houses down,” he stated. 

Earlier this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the decision to reopen California could take a few more weeks due to increasing COVID-19 cases. 

“We can quickly find ourselves back to where we were just a few weeks ago, a month ago, with significant increases if we do not maintain our vigilance,” Newsom said Monday. “Until we have a vaccine, we are going to be living with this virus.”