DEL MAR, Calif. (KGTV) - The Del Mar City Council voted to add more enforcement to their community, specifically targeting people who are not following county health orders regarding masks.
The city currently contracts with the sheriff’s department for one single deputy to be on the clock 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but with this new addition, two more part-time deputies will be added. The two will work four hours a week, likely on the weekends, patrolling the streets as usual, with an extra eye on people violating county health orders. The focus will be on education first, but violations could result in a misdemeanor costing up to $1,000. That money does not go back to the city of Del Mar, but rather to the county.
City Councilman Dave Druker has lived in Del Mar for 34 years. He said recently, crowds visiting the beach community have discouraged locals from leaving their homes, so the goal is not only keep visitors safe but also support locals.
“There’s a whole lot of people in town that are, at this point, terrified to go out,” said Druker.
He said with their small community and large crowds of visitors, the one deputy was not enough to keep up with the rules.
“Because our budget is based on 4,000 people and we have close to 20,000 people on a daily basis here, we thought we should add a little bit of enforcement to this,” said Druker.
The total cost of the additional positions for the next four months is $20,000, which will come from the $120,000 that Druker said the City Council set aside for COVID-19 relief efforts. He said some arguments against the new jobs have to do with spending that money elsewhere in the city.
