The Governor's lockdown did not apparently come with any orders to make arrests, but a message that he expected residents would do the right thing and stay put except when absolutely necessary. Not to mention the fact that the police here have been told NOT to arrest people, and jails are releasing prisoners and not accepting new bookings unless they are for certain violent felonies. The order of the day is to cite-and-release for misdemeanors, and release and "long form" (i.e. write a report and submit for a warrant) for felonies.
My eldest son who lives in L.A. was stopped by the LAPD on Thursday for walking across the street to a convenience store/gas station for food. He's coming home because he's now afraid to leave his apartment and he's already been told to work from home. From what I've seen on law enforcement sites, it seems that the police in some cities have been given marching orders to detain people out and about without good cause in spite of the fact there's really nothing that can be done about it.
I'm one of those
jackbooted thugs and we have received no orders to stop or harass people who are out in defiance of the governor's orders. It appears to be a local phenomena in those cities where the mayors have decided to crack down. The irony being that a couple of those cities - San Jose and Los Angeles - have mayors that historically and publicly oppose the police when possible. But, now, when they can be used as a tool, they turn to them. I suspect Sacramento is next, and I am surprised I have not yet heard such tales from San Francisco.
In the meantime, I am self-quarantined because of my exposure via my in-laws (who have developed symptoms of COVID and been ordered quarantined but not yet tested), so my wife and I are stuck at home together. She's cleaning, and I'm staying out of her way.
