Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he would use the municipality’s full power to keep nonessential companies from operating in the city, including discontinuing their access to water and electricity, the Washington Examiner reported.
His declaration came after California Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month banned nonessential businesses from opening as part of the state's attempts to fight the coronavirus.
Garcetti said companies have nothing to worry about from inspectors if they abide by the rules.
The mayor also related to President Donald Trump's remarks about hoping to have the nation opened up and running by Easter, saying he did not think Los Angeles would meet that timeframe, KTLA5 reported.
"We won’t extend it one day longer than we need to," Garcetti said, but stressed that the "safer at home" measure had to be maintained, explaining that the city is about six to 12 days behind New York in being hit with a wave of positive cases
"The peak is not here yet," Garcetti emphasized. "It will be bad."
The mayor said that “We need to be prepared for some of the darkness that is ahead. Each one of us can be a light. We can light a match of hope. We can navigate that tunnel with each other and not alone."
He added that, “more importantly, what we do can ensure that more people exit that tunnel together... and that our city will rise again.”
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.