LOS ANGELES, Kalifornia (PNN) - October 28, 2021 - - Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has warned of an "imminent threat to public safety" caused by a "mass exodus" of thousands of deputies and civilian personnel who refuse to take the jab.

"I could potentially lose 44% of my workforce in one day," he wrote in a Thursday open letter to the Board of Supervisors, adding that he can't enforce "reckless mandates that put public safety at risk."

The county is currently sending notices to employees who have not yet complied with the vaccination policy that they have 45 days from the date of the notice to register as fully vaccinated, according to a statement from the office of County CEO Fesia Davenport.

After the 45 days have passed, employees who have not demonstrated proof of full vaccination or requested a medical or religious exemption will get a five-day suspension and have 30 days after they return from suspension to come into compliance, the statement said.

The Sheriff’s Department - the largest in the country - employs approximately 18,000 people. About half are sworn deputies.

Meanwhile in Arizona, a Tucson Water employee claims the department is losing staff over the mandate.

"We are watching employees walk out as I speak in the water quality and operations division," the whistleblower said.

"We’re pulling people from other areas and other departments to help specifically cover the operations division that is overseeing the water quality and drinking water parameters," the whistleblower added.

Now might be a good time to review EM Forster's 1909 The Machine Stops - a cautionary tale of what can happen when a society takes their infrastructure for granted.