The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted to remove Sheriff Alex Villanueva as the head of emergency operations amid the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Tuesday.

The vote makes L.A. County Chief Executive Officer Sachi Hamai responsible for coordinating the County’s activities relating to emergency preparedness, response and recovery, including the activation and operation of the County Emergency Operations Center.

The change dates back to the Woolsey Fire response in 2018 before Villaneuva was in office, according to the County report.

“I respectfully say to the sheriff, this is not about him,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. “This is about the safety of the residents of L.A. County.”

Kuehl noted that the board has never voted for the sheriff to be the head of the emergency services, and two-thirds of counties in California have their CEO or another entity as the emergency operations lead.

The sheriff said he believes the move is a “power grab” by the board during a worldwide public health crisis.

“This will impact public safety and public health,” Villanueva said. “They’re going to reassign the job to a financial analyst, and not a first responder with experience managing natural disasters and man-made. We’re in the middle of a global public health crisis.”

See Related: Supervisors Seek To Remove Sheriff As Head Of Emergency Operations Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Villanueva further argued that this move creates more bureaucracy, adding another layer of red tape during an emergency.

The CEO, Sachi, is now able to expand the membership of the County Emergency Management Council, according to the County.

“If approved by the board, these changes would modernize a section of the County Code that was originally drafted in the late 1970s. These changes, if adopted, would follow recommended best practices with regard to the county’s Office of Emergency Management,” Sachi said.

The sheriff is still responsible for operational command and control over law enforcement activities, according to the County.

The chief executive officer, the sheriff, the fire chief and the County director of public health are each authorized to issue, disseminate and coordinate alerts, warnings and emergency notifications to the public.

With respect to such alerts, warnings and emergency notifications, the Office of Emergency Management is authorized to coordinate consistency of messaging, according to the report.

“In the time of this unprecedented emergency, there is an urgent need to take all action to efficiently and effectively address the threat of COVID-19,” the report reads.

This urgency ordinance amends the County’s emergency ordinance to provide necessary enhancements and clarifications to address the County’s emergency activities and operations.

“It is essential that the amendments made by this urgency ordinance are immediately implemented so that the County can take all advantage of these enhancements and clarifications as the County proceeds with necessary action to address the threat of COVID-19,” the motion reads.

Read the full motion here.

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