California Lawmakers Hoping To Reclassify Restaurants
Sacramento, CA — A group of 11 lawmakers is urging Governor Gavin Newsom to deem restaurants as “essential businesses” so that they can operate as normal during the current Stay at Home order.
A letter is signed by a group of Republican and Democratic Senators, including Andreas Borgeas, who represents the Mother Lode. The letter argues that the fate of thousands of restaurants and jobs are at risk. The group states that most restaurants have already taken precautions to operate as safely as possible during the pandemic, so they should be allowed to remain open for in-person dining.
On a related note, yesterday a judge in Southern California ruled that in-person dining can resume, with safety protocols, in San Diego County. The ruling argues that the state failed to show restaurants contribute to the spread of the virus, or the reduction in available hospital beds. The state immediately appealed the decision, so it remains unclear if in-person dining will resume there. There are similar lawsuits going through the legal process in other parts of the state.
