Public Order Under City of Los Angeles Emergency Authority
Issue Date: March 15, 2020
Subject:

New City Measures to Address COVID-19

On March 4, 2020, I declared a local emergency in relation to the arrival of the
COVID-19 virus in our community, and on March 12, 2020, I ordered a number of
measures to be taken across the City to protect members of the public and City workers
from an undue risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. Our precautions over the past
weeks and what we do over the next few days and weeks will determine how well we
weather this emergency.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a
pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises us that COVID-19
spreads easily from person to person and has issued guidelines recommending that the
public adopt policies and routines to enable social distancing wherever possible.
Here in the City of Los Angeles, we must redouble our efforts to maintain hand hygiene,
respiratory etiquette, and social distancing. It is absolutely critical that we as a City do
everything we can to slow the pace of community spread and avoid unnecessary strain
on our medical system. To aid in our efforts, under the emergency authorities vested in
my office under the laws of the City of Los Angeles, today I am ordering that a series of
temporary restrictions be placed on certain establishments throughout our City in which
large numbers of people tend to gather and remain in close proximity. By virtue of
authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Los Angeles pursuant to the provisions of
the Los Angeles Administrative Code, Chapter 3, Section 8.29 to promulgate, issue, and
enforce rules, regulations, orders, and directives, I hereby declare the following orders
to be necessary for the protection of life and property and I hereby order, effective at
11:59 p.m. tonight, until March 31, 2020 at 12:00 p.m., that:
1.
All bars and nightclubs in the City of Los Angeles that do not serve food shall be
closed to the public.

 2.
Any bars or nightclubs in the City of Los Angeles that serve food may remain
open only for purposes of continuing to prepare and offer food to customers via delivery
service or to be picked up. Dine-in food service is prohibited.
3.
All restaurants and retail food facilities in the City of Los Angeles shall be
prohibited from serving food for consumption on premises. Restaurants and retail food
facilities may continue to operate for purposes of preparing and offering food to
customers via delivery service, to be picked up or for drive-thru. For those
establishments offering food pick-up options, proprietors are directed to establish social
distancing practices for those patrons in the queue for pick-up.
4.

The following are exempt from this Order:
A. Cafeterias, commissaries, and restaurants located within hospitals,
nursing homes, or similar facilities
B. Grocery stores
C. Pharmacies
D. Food banks
E. Los Angeles World Airports concessionaires

5.
Trucks and other vehicles engaged in the delivery of grocery items to grocery
stores, when such items are to be made available for sale to the public, are hereby
exempt from having to comply with any City rules and regulations that limit the hours for
such deliveries, including, without limitation, Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 12.22
A.23(b)(3) and Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 114.03.
6.
All movie theaters, live performance venues, bowling alleys and arcades shall be
closed to the public.
7.

All gyms and fitness centers shall be closed to the public.

Any violation of the above prohibitions may be referred to the Office of the City Attorney
for prosecution under Los Angeles Administrative Code Section 8.77, which provides for
fines not to exceed $1,000 or imprisonment not to exceed six months. Each individual
officer should use their discretion in enforcing this order and always keep the intent of
the order in mind.
In addition, I hereby issue guidance to the leaders of the City’s houses of worship and
urge them, in the strongest possible terms, to limit gatherings on their premises and to
explore and implement ways to practice their respective faiths while observing social
distancing practices.
Finally, I hereby order that no landlord shall evict a residential tenant in the City of Los
Angeles during this local emergency period if the tenant is able to show an inability to
pay rent due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These

 circumstances include loss of income due to a COVID-19 related workplace closure,
child care expenditures due to school closures, health care expenses related to being ill
with COVID-19 or caring for a member of the tenant’s household who is ill with
COVID-19, or reasonable expenditures that stem from government-ordered emergency
measures. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to mean that the tenant will not
still be obligated to pay lawfully charged rent. Tenants will have up to six months
following the expiration of the local emergency period to repay any back due rent.
Tenants may use the protections afforded in this subsection as an affirmative defense in
an unlawful detainer action. This subsection shall remain in effect during the pendency
of the local emergency period.
This order may be extended prior to March 31, 2020.