Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is refusing to enforce a mask mandate because he claims it is "not backed by science." On Friday, July 16, Villanueva released a statement pushing back against the proposed mandate as he offered specifics about why he opposes masks for certain people, according to Axios. "Forcing the vaccinated and those who already contracted COVID-19 to wear masks indoors is not backed by science and contradicts the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines," Villanueva said in the statement. While he did admit that the L.A. County Public Health Department does have the authority to enforce the measure, he made it clear his "underfunded/defunded" law enforcement agency will not be following suit.