The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to join the federal government in honoring former President Jimmy Carter by passing a motion Tuesday calling for Thursday to be declared a day of mourning.
Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died Dec. 29 in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100, following nearly two years in hospice.
There will be a funeral service for Carter at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, and President Joe Biden declared a National Day of Mourning in honor of the former chief executive, who lived longer than any other U.S. president.
Biden’s executive order called for the closure of all executive departments and agencies of the federal government, with some exceptions for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.
The county Board of Supervisors will consider a motion Tuesday declaring a local Day of Mourning.
“In 2018, then-President Donald J. Trump declared Wednesday, December 5, 2018, a National Day of Mourning in honor of President George H.W. Bush,” according to the motion. “The Board of Supervisors followed suit and closed all county offices, agencies and entities except those that serve an emergency or essential purpose as determined by each department head. It is prudent and fitting that the board take similar action now.”
If the motion is approved, all non-emergency and non-essential county offices, agencies and entities determined by the department heads, will be closed on Thursday.
Supervisor Janice Hahn, meanwhile, plans to adjourn Tuesday’s board meeting in honor of Carter. She will also provide a memorial book in the board room for meeting attendees to sign and write messages about the former president.
“Jimmy Carter was a great president and a great man and he changed lives in around the world during his presidency and for decades after,” Hahn said in a statement. “I know he meant so much to so many here in L.A. County.”