Mask up or pay up; California cities impose fines for disobeying orders
Choosing not to wear a mask in parts of California could cost you.
Fines for not making the effort to help curb spread of the coronavirus could set you back $300 in West Hollywood and $100 each in the cities of Santa Monica and Monterey as officials statewide scramble to control a surge of cases heading into the July 4 holiday weekend.
The firmer approach to impose fines and ramp up enforcement of a rule that previously had carried no penalty reflects a parting from the non-punitive approach of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom has chosen encouragement over punishment to get more Californians to comply with his mask mandate, which has become a politicized issue. While public health officials say face coverings are a no-brainer way to curb possible spread of the virus, the order has been resisted by people who claim it violates their personal freedom.
At Mel’s Drive-In on the Sunset Strip recently, one woman argued with Colton Weiss, grandson of the franchise's founder, Mel Weiss, when he asked her to put on a mask.
“She was asking me, ‘What are you, God?’ ” he recounted Thursday, wearing a black mask branded with the Mel’s logo.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Capt. Edward Ramirez, who heads the West Hollywood station, said city officials decided early this week to take a stronger stance as coronavirus cases increased. He said most people have complied after being warned.
Deputies will continue to warn people and hand out masks to those who don't have their own, he said. As a "very last option” they can issue a non-criminal citation to people who refuse to don the protection. The ticket comes with a fine of $250 for a first offense, as well as a $50 fee.
https://www.kcra.com/article/southern-california-city-to-ticket-people-without-masks/33087734#
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