Almost 80 Los Angeles city employees have been put on leave without pay after refusing to adhere to the city’s mandate to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by December, according to LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. As of Nov. 17, 77 city employees have been put on leave after declining to sign notices that instruct employees to get vaccinated by Dec. 18, Garcetti said in a briefing, with 700 more city employees at risk for joining them on unpaid leave. Garcetti, in his first public appearance since recovering from COVID-19, urged LA residents to get vaccinated, get booster shots and inoculate their children against the virus. Garcetti touted the high rate of employees already vaccinated, with 77 percent of employees having taken the vaccine according to data from the mayor’s office released Oct. 27. “The good news is, overwhelmingly city employees have gotten vaccinated,” Garcetti said. “And I want to be clear …