Hermosa Beach Police Department Association blasts city for enforcing COVID protocols
by Dan Blackburn
Two veteran Hermosa Beach police officers were placed on administrative leave last week for failure to comply with the city’s COVID-19 protocol, according to a post on the Police Officers Association’s Facebook page.
The Feb. 24 post identifies the officers as Detective Wayne Lewis, a 21-year Hermosa veteran, and Officer Jonathan Cruz, a 14-year department veteran.
“The city refused to accept or respect their Religious Exemptions request pertaining to the Covid-19 vaccination,” the police association Facebook post stated.
The post added that four other officers are facing “separations for the same reason.” The 39-member department also anticipates three other officers retiring on May 1, the post states.
City Manager Suja Lowenthal issued a statement Tuesday stating, “as of this date, no employees have separated from city employment for failure to get vaccinated.”
When asked for further a response to the Police Association’s Facebook post, city spokesperson Laura Mecoy wrote in an email, “I cannot speak for the HBPOA. That is the union representing officers and sergeants. It is not a city sponsored page or organization.”
Lowenthal noted that five officers recently joined the force, and seven others have been hired since 2020. The city is offering a $40,000 signing bonus for lateral transfers, and a $30,000 bonus for other new hires.
The Hermosa Beach COVID policy, approved by the city council late last year, requires “city officials, staff members, contractors and certain volunteers to be vaccinated against the virus by Nov. 12. Until they are fully vaccinated, they will be required to undergo weekly COVID tests.” ER