Executive Order: Face Coverings Required in Santa Ana

City Manager Kristine Ridge signed an executive order on Dec. 4, 2020, requiring the use of face coverings in public, as directed by the City Council in a unanimous vote on Dec. 1.

The order, made under the City Manager’s local emergency declaration authority during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflects the statewide mask order but also provides local penalties for failure to comply.

All people within the City limits of the City of Santa Ana are required to wear a face covering at all times in public or when outside of their home, except for certain exemptions. Violation of this order is a crime and may be pursued as an administrative citation, an infraction or a misdemeanor.

However, the City of Santa Ana recognizes that many residents and businesses have been financially impacted by the pandemic. We hope not to add to that burden by having to issue fines or other penalties for those who violate the mask order.

We encourage all residents and visitors in Santa Ana to voluntarily comply with the order to protect themselves and their community against the spread of COVID-19. Case numbers are rising fast and we ask everyone to do their part. We are all in this together.

Under the executive order, all people within the City limits of the City of Santa Ana are required to wear a cloth face covering at all times in public or when outside of their home unless one of the following exemptions applies:

• Persons in a car alone or solely with members of their own household.
• Persons who are working in an office or in a room alone.
• Persons who are actively eating or drinking provided that they are able to maintain a distance of at least six feet away from persons who are not members of the same household or residence.
• Persons who are outdoors and maintaining at least 6 feet of social distancing from others not in their household.  Such persons must have a face covering with them at all times and must put it on if they are within 6 feet of others who are not in their household.
• Persons who are obtaining a service involving the nose or face for which temporary removal of the face covering is necessary to perform the service.
• Workers who are required to wear respiratory protection.
• Persons who are specifically exempted from wearing face coverings by other CDPH guidance, including but not limited to the following:
  • Persons younger than two years old. These very young children must not wear a face covering because of the risk of suffocation.
  • Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a face covering. This includes persons with a medical condition for whom wearing a face covering could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face covering without assistance. Such conditions are rare.
  • Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.
  • Persons for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.

Note: Persons exempted from wearing a face covering due to a medical condition who are employed in a job involving regular contact with others must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.   

Violation of this Order is a crime and may be pursued as an administrative citation, an infraction or a misdemeanor, in the City’s sole and absolute discretion pursuant to California Penal Code section 19, California Government Code section 8665, and Santa Ana Municipal Code sections 1-8 and 2-648.

Read the full executive order.