First, I want to give you an update on COVID-19.

Our COVID threat level remains at orange. Currently, we are not moving to red, and not closing any additional activities or businesses. We need to keep doing the small actions that will make a big difference. Please keep wearing a mask, washing your hands, physically distancing and not gathering with others.

I recently joined actor Anthony Anderson to share these important messages with Angelenos. Watch and share our new video.

And while we battle this deadly virus with everything we’ve got, our other work must continue — to deliver City services, to solve problems and support our communities through this challenging time, and to build a city for the future that is stronger than ever before.

We stand at an inflection point in our nation’s history — a moment when we have to redouble our work to end structural racism, advance civil rights, and deliver equity to every Angeleno. And we have to start by reimagining public safety in our city.

We don’t have to look far to see how we can meet that charge. As Monday’s L.A. Times editorial affirmed, “The LAPD’s Community Safety Partnership provides a model for the kind of policing ethos we need.”

Operating at 10 sites throughout the city, the Community Safety Partnership places LAPD officers on a five-year assignment in one place so they can develop relationships and really get to know the families they’re sworn to protect. That builds trust between officers and the communities they serve.

Now, we’re taking this strategy citywide. 

On Monday, I announced we’re creating the Community Safety Partnership Bureau in the LAPD — to integrate this training and curriculum and mentality across the department. 

The creation of this Bureau was accomplished at no additional cost to the City, and was budget neutral to the department. 

Last year, violent crime dropped for the second consecutive year and officer involved shootings declined to historic lows. Overall, our city is much safer than in earlier decades.

But we want everyone in our city to feel secure — not only in their neighborhoods, but in the presence of those in uniform.

Since we started CSP in four public housing developments in 2011 and expanded it to another six locations during my time in office, we have seen officers become fixtures in parks, on playgrounds, and on the way to school. We’ve seen crime fall and trust rise. That’s what makes a stronger city.

Our new CSP Bureau will be under the command of Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides, who played a key role in creating this program back in 2011 and who will lead this effort alongside a civilian commander. 

21st century policing 

This latest reform builds on LAPD’s leadership in 21st century law enforcement, rooted in greater accountability, transparency, and relationship-based policing.

LAPD was the first large police department in the country to use body cameras for all patrol officers and release those videos to the public.

It is also one of the largest departments in the country to train all of its officers on de-escalation, use of non-lethal force, and implicit bias.

But we must do more. On Thursday, our civilian Police Commission expanded on that record by adopting nation-leading reforms, including an independent review of LAPD’s response to the protests following the murder of George Floyd, a ban of the carotid restraint hold, discontinuing use of the CalGangs database, and revising LAPD’s Use of Force policy to require officers who intentionally point a firearm at a person to report such incidents.

Over the course of my time as Mayor, we’ve also tapped into other strategies and policies that focus on services first. We increased the area covered by our nationally-recognized Gang Reduction and Youth Development programs by 50 percent — a step that has reduced juvenile arrests, brought down gang-related violent crime, and placed the burden of youth outreach, prevention, and intervention where it belongs: not on the shoulders of law enforcement, but in the hands of community-based providers.

This is only the beginning, and we have a long way to travel on the road to a safer, fairer, more just Los Angeles. But I know we can get there by deepening trust and cooperation, by forging partnerships and personal relationships, by creating a city where communities co-own public safety alongside our police officers.

Together, we will push forward. We will uphold our promise of racial justice in every facet of our government. We will lead a city that serves the best interests and highest aspirations of every resident.

Peace, strength and love, Los Angeles.

Over the past few days, I’ve heard confusion and concern from people across Los Angeles about what’s next in this crisis –– Angelenos who read the headlines and wonder: “Will we really be in lockdown for the next three months?”

The answer is no. We are taking gradual steps into our new reality –– allowing more businesses and activities to open as it becomes safe to do so. Yesterday, we reopened beaches for active recreation and permitted all retail businesses –– except those inside indoor malls –– to open for delivery and curbside or doorside pickup.

As a city and county, we will continue to monitor public health conditions and act to protect lives and livelihoods.

If you own, manage, or work for a business that was recently allowed to reopen, look up the County’s required protocols for safely resuming work, and use the City’s toolkits to support your operations.

If you return to the beaches, you can swim, surf, run, and walk. But parking lots, piers, beach bike paths, and concessions are closed. No gatherings, or activities like sunbathing and group sports, are permitted –– and face coverings are required except when you’re in the water.

This weekend, we’ll open tennis and pickleball courts, archery ranges, equestrian centers, model airplane areas, and community gardens at City facilities –– and we’ll launch our Slow Streets program to reduce traffic on neighborhood streets and provide more space for you to run, walk, and bike.

While we have made real progress, this virus is still deadly. And every day, we’re learning important lessons on how to safely live with it.

Now, we’re requiring Angelenos, except young children who are at risk of suffocation and people with certain disabilities, to wear face coverings anytime you leave your home, because this simple step can make an enormous difference in protecting the health and safety of our communities. 

Washing your hands, keeping your physical distance, staying safer at home, and putting on your face covering will help us continue to make progress and open more of our city.

And while our Safer at Home Order will remain beyond May 15, if we all keep doing our part, we will be able to keep making changes and modifications that safely allow more activities, more businesses to operate, and more Angelenos to get back to work.

This is not easy. But it will not last forever –– and as long as COVID-19 remains a threat, I will be here for you.

The City will help you through this, and we will continue to take steps together to help fill our souls, give us hope, and remind us why we love living in Los Angeles.

As always, I send strength and love to our entire city.

Thank you for everything you do.

Eric Garcetti
Your Mayor