County extends curfew for 4th night
As protests continued across Los Angeles County following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the county extended the countywide curfew for the fourth night, beginning at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
For today, any countywide curfew order had not yet been announced as of Wednesday evening, but the city of Santa Clarita announced a citywide curfew beginning at 6 p.m. today, independent of any continuance of the countywide curfew.
The county Board of Supervisors and L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva put out an executive order issuing the original curfew Sunday, where only first responders, those traveling to and from work, those who are homeless without access to a viable shelter, credentialed media and individuals seeking medical attention are exempt.
The parameters have remained the same, with the addition of individuals working on a public work of improvement construction project, though the curfew, imposed countywide within unincorporated and incorporated areas, is now set to go into effect at 9 p.m. — instead of the previous 6 p.m. curfews — and was set to stay in place until 5 a.m. today.
“This is the fourth night of a countywide curfew ordered to protect public safety,” a statement by county officials read Wednesday.
“Tonight’s curfew will start later than the curfew in previous nights as the county assesses public safety needs on a daily basis. Residents, unless otherwise noted, are asked to stay in their home during the curfew.”
In a prepared statement, Villanueva said, “the Sheriff’s Department will be enforcing the curfew order from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.,” calling it the actions of “small groups of individuals seeking to incite violence and looting” that have forced the need for a curfew “in order to protect life, protect property and restore order.”
“Over the past 24 hours, protesters have not allowed criminal behavior to overshadow their message, and law enforcement has been able to isolate and apprehend many individuals involved in criminal behavior,” he added. “While law enforcement has fully mobilized to protect the community, trust is a two-way street. In doing so, I am signaling my trust in the public, so we can all work together in partnership during these troubling times.”