Beverly Hills City Council votes not to enforce LA County mask mandate

In a preemptive measure, the Beverly Hills City Council voted on Monday not to enforce the rule, were it to be implemented.

As FOX News reports, the decision by City Council was unanimous.

Mayor Lili Bosse said she and her colleagues felt they must lead the way and "support the power of choice."

"Our job is to be proactive and public about what we believe," Bosse added. "This is a united City Council and community that cares about health. We are not where we were in 2020, and now we need to move forward as a community and be part of the solution."

Beverly Hills City Council was joined in their opposition to a mask mandate by LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

"It’s clear that COVID-19, for the foreseeable future, is here to stay," she said in a statement, adding that she believes "vaccines, boosters, and access to COVID-19 treatments are our most effective tools" to tackle the virus.

"However," she continued, "I have not seen any empirical data that conclusively shows that masking mandates make a difference in decreasing or stopping COVID-19 transmission rates."

She argued that mask mandates are "polarizing" and "unenforceable," and that they do more to "distract" collective efforts to save lives.

"I support our current COVID-19 public health masking policies, which require their use while using public transportation, in hospitals, homeless shelters and jails," she added. "However, imposing a onesize-fits-all masking mandate now for all is not something I can or will support."

The LA County Department of Public Health has yet to formally declare whether a mask mandate will go into effect.