City Council President pushing for Los Angeles' largest employer to have full vaccine mandate

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez is not mincing words when it comes to her frustration with people not getting the coronavirus vaccine.

"I think we can all say that this has been an exhausting year for all of us," Martinez said during FOX 11's special report Friday night. "Having to convince people over and over again about the importance of vaccination and what it's doing to Los Angeles."

As the delta variant of COVID-19 continues to surge across the area – 3,606 new cases were reported Friday, July 30 in Los Angeles County – Martinez does not want Angelenos to go "backwards" in the ongoing battle against the virus spread.

"We don't want to go back to restrictions, restaurant closures and businesses having to close," Martinez said. "We need people to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

At one point during her appearance on FOX 11's special report, Martinez said she would like to see all Los Angeles city employees get fully vaccinated.

"I am pushing for a full vaccine mandate for city employees," Martinez said.

The City Council President's desire for the full vaccine mandate comes just days after Los Angeles had begun to require city employees to show either proof of vaccination or test negative for COVID-19 weekly. Her push for the full vaccine mandate would eliminate the option for unvaccinated city employees to test negative before heading into work.

Martinez told FOX 11 she's not getting significant pushback from labor unions but the proposed policy is still in the development stages.

Elex Michaelson co-anchors FOX 11 News weeknights at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. with Christine Devine. He co-hosts the "FOX 11 Special Report" with Marla Tellez weeknights at 7 p.m.

The City of Los Angeles is the largest employer in the city. Los Angeles has dozens of departments and bureaus, including the LAPD, recreations and parks, library, Port of Los Angeles and LADOT.

Martinez said the proposed full vaccine mandate has not yet been debated on the City Council.

As the city continues its push to get more Angelenos vaccinated, Martinez also said a committee has directed all city departments to provide a vaccination rate for each department.

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