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Supervisor Kathryn Barger Opposes ‘Unnecessary’ Restrictions To Restaurants

Supervisor Kathryn Barger announced Monday her opposition to coronavirus restrictions set to go into effect on Wednesday that prohibit outdoor dining, only allowing take-out for at least three weeks.

To prevent unnecessary hardship for residents and businesses throughout Los Angeles County, Supervisor Kathryn Barger is expected to oppose the Department of Public Health’s decision to prohibit outdoor dining and further restrictions including another Safer at Home Order, instead calling to align with the State of California’s health orders.

“These proposed measures by the Department of Public Health will further devastate local businesses and employees who have been asked to shoulder an unfair burden this year,” said Barger. “Businesses throughout the County have invested thousands of dollars to ensure safety for their employees and customers only to be punished for the recent surge they have done everything in their power to prevent.”

Later Monday afternoon, the City of Santa Clarita also released a statement on the closure of outdoor dining.

“Our Santa Clarita restaurants have taken great care (and expense) to remain in compliance with the Health Order to provide safe outdoor dining areas. The City of Santa Clarita has encouraged our local businesses to take necessary precautions to protect their clientele through the Safer Business Commitment,” said City officials in a statement.

More than 200 local businesses have signed on – pledging to follow the latest safety guidelines and best practices issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“For the Los Angeles County Department of Public Heath to unilaterally make the decision to close outdoor dining countywide on the eve of Thanksgiving, without any public debate or deliberation, is unconscionable,” City officials said.

See Related: Restaurants Restricted To Take-Out Only In L.A. County Due To Spike In Coronavirus Cases

On June 18, The Department of Public Health recommended bars for reopening operations without food service. On this date, the county’s positivity rate was rising to more than 9 percent and hospitalizations were rising to more than 1.400.

On Monday, the county’s hospitalizations are similar and the positivity rate is at 6.7 percent.

Further, the Departments of Public Health and Health Services (DHS) have agreed L.A. County has enhanced its ability to treat the virus, and survival rates are much higher. In June, Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 fatality rate reached 4 percent, it has now decreased to 2 percent. The recovery rate is likely much higher as DHS’ modeling projects that nearly 2 million, or 1 in 6 residents, have had COVID-19.

Barger pointed to data that shows Public Health has reported that only between 10 to 15 percent of positive cases reported dining out with someone who tested positive, while more than 50 percent reported being at a private social gathering with someone who tested positive.

By closing restaurants that are in compliance, the County may adversely incentivize residents to host and attend more private gatherings without safety precautions in place, according to Barger’s office.

Public Health has shown the compliance rate among businesses averages more than 95 percent. Los Angeles County has one of the lowest positivity rates in the state and will be the only area to close outdoor dining, indicating this is not a best practice in the effort to slow the spread.

“Businesses have made incredible sacrifices to align with safety protocols to remain open in order to pay their bills and feed their families,” Barger said. “Our hospitalization rates are among the lowest we’ve seen. Yet, the rationale for further closures is tied to the number of patients in the hospital. We’ve come a long way to support workers and residents who are struggling to stay afloat and should not regress on the progress we’ve made.”

The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation predicted that approximately 700,000 jobs in the food industry would be lost during this shutdown. The LAEDC also highlighted that approximately 75 percent of all projected job losses would be those earning $50,000 or less, according to Barger.

“Increased case counts are not coming from businesses reopening, but from large gatherings where people aren’t wearing masks,” Barger said. “We aren’t helpless in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and can protect ourselves and our neighbors by maintaining physical distancing and wearing face coverings.”


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Supervisor Kathryn Barger Opposes ‘Unnecessary’ Restrictions To Restaurants

17 comments

  1. This all just sucks, doesn’t it?! ?

    • The virus sucks. The fact we are not unified in efforts to combat it sucks more. Far too many just don’t understand the seriousness of this pandemic after all this time. We seem to be a species bent on our own destruction. Trump wasted nearly a year and now, pouting in a corner still continues passing the buck, blaming others and, of course, golfing while people die. There is an old expression that says, Lead Follow or Get Out of the Way. He will do none of those. And he wants to remain in office?! For what?!

  2. I’m paraphrasing from another comment:
    When out in public I wear a mask, and social distance as needed; as does the rest of my family. However this virus will continue on its merry way, just as the common cold and flu has done every year for hundreds of years. Yes it is especially dangerous (and deadly) for those with health issues, including age, underling health conditions and weaken immune systems; just as is the flu – I know because my father died of flu complications. Yes it is contagious, however the mortality rate based on the infection rate (which is biased due to the number of tests being performed) is still low – unlike SARS-CoV1 at 9.7% and MERS at 37% and remember there are 4 other Corona viruses that fall into the “Common Cold” category which infect approximately 15% of the US population every year. We need to move forward not backwards; the lock-downs have proven an effective way to extend the misery of this virus and the misery of this economy and the misery of the mental health of a silent part of our population that goes un-noticed; the elderly, children and those unemployed by the business shut-downs.

  3. If you are high risk. Avoid dining out. It’s pretty simple. If you are high risk, avoid going wine tasting. If you are high risk, utilize the curbside pick up from every single store and restaurant imaginable. It’s that simple.

  4. Let’s investigate the continued claims “Covid is no worse than the flu.”

    As of November 23, 2020, the CDC reports:

    US Covid Deaths: 255,000
    US Covid Cases: 12,000,000
    Influenza Season Deaths: 22,000
    Influenza Season Cases: 38,000,000

    Fatality Rate Flu vs Covid

    Flu: 22,000 / 38,000,000 * 100 = 0.058%
    Covid: 255,000 / 12,000,000 * 100 = 2.125%

    Based on these numbers, the death rate from Covid is 36 times greater than the flu. Think about that while making the claim “Covid is no worse than the flu.”

    And the problem is, “reopening” in this environment is a largely symbolic act. Economic activity has been diminished even without restrictions — people who’ve reduced hours or lost their jobs don’t have money, government stimulus has been lackluster, and most people remain rightly concerned about the virus. That all adds up to severely curtailed economic activity.

    So what’s the point of aggressive calls to reopen the economy? It’s comes down to leaving small businesses at the mercy of the economic tides. It’s about robbing small businesses of the argument “we can’t pay our bills because of an official lockdown” and opening the gates so banks can start foreclosing and business interruption insurance to start saying “it’s not our fault you weren’t packing them in.” It’s about artificially alleviating the pressure to consider another bailout or unemployment boost. Or to disrupt the overwhelming bias toward protecting landlords over tenant businesses — to the extent that it’s often a better deal to leave a storefront vacant than to have a tenant producing at reduced capacity.

    So the next time we hear about helping a small business by reopening, how about demanding another round of stimulus instead? Force majeure carve outs excluding COVID business interruption are not in the public interest. We need to seriously look at extending eviction moratoriums or strip landlords of financial benefits for leaving storefronts vacant. Basically, let’s demand anything but telling small businesses to go fend for themselves right now. Because that’s the one request that isn’t going to be enough to help them survive.

  5. Thank you Supervisor Barger for having the courage to speak with honesty, that you oppose closing restaurants for dining. Compared to ooen border defund the police peers: Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, you are the best Supervisor LA County has to offer.

    Other than tax hikes for all in 2021, Democrats have no other plan to make up for lost revenues from the cities, counties, and states. We also know that Sleepy and gaffing Joe Biden should be in a convalescent home. Instead he will be signing legislative bills that he has no idea what he is signing. Let’s see if he follows through with free healthcare for all, open borders, abolishing I.C.E., and all the other ideas that the radical Left seek without approval from the working middle class.

    As always everything the Leftists touch turns to s#$t.

    • Doofus, your libtard rant has nothing to do with this virus. Everything a republican touches turns to death or profits. All under the heading of being a wonderful and caring “Christian Conservative” That special place in hell is filling up fast

  6. And I suppose you think Trump handled Covid brilliantly… He’s not a leader. He’s a divider. He’s not qualified for anything except to run businesses into the ground and not pay taxes. He buried his head in the sand over Covid at the beginning of this crisis and you buried your head right up his ass.

  7. Fatties… Have you ever seen whose at a Trump rally?

    He doesn’t even listen to the experts. How bout you go drink some bleach and have a nice day.

    • Shadow-You have to be one miserable human being your mantra has to be misery loves company.You’re probably hoping everything gets shut down so productive people can be put in your position where your only asset is your mouth and that’s all you bring to the table.You probably have no skin in the game so you don’t know what it’s like to make a house payment pay your house taxes put your kids through school but I’ll tell you what you are good at judging everyone else.In your various posts you have managed to brag about how much money you have about people being overweight and what you thought of a senior citizen trying to save an animal.You’re not funny you’re not witty and you have no idea what you’re talking about you’re like a cartoon that gets drawn up every day.So when you’re done marching the penguin lose the keyboard warrior mentality and look up the word class because you ain’t got it.Instead of telling other people to leave California if they don’t like it why don’t you leave and go to Washington or Oregon where drugs are decriminalized and you’re encouraged to rat on your neighbor I’m sure it would work out real well for you there.You manage to work Trump into everyone of your arguments because that’s all you got did you ever once think maybe people here are just tired of the the California politicians where the only thing that spreads faster than covid is their hypocrisy.Most adults can decide for themselves how to live their lives they don’t need politicians that don’t play by the same rules to tell them what to do.So Shadow learn to develop a sense of humor try to be wittier and even do your homework before you post but above all else have a great day,stay safe and use your own judgment.

      • John,
        I think there is a strong possibility that there are a few Federal/State workers on pensions in these threads,
        I’m pretty sure they have been waiting for a federal bailout to keep their gravy train going, this may account for the some of the resentfulness toward others.
        Politically speaking, it looks like they may be in luck, not so much for the rest of us.

      • John, I hope you have a great day as well. I think we all can come together and get this virus under control.

        However, pointing out hypocrisy is only valid if those pointing it out are fully supportive of doing what’s right to help stop the spread of the virus. Otherwise they’re just as guilty.

        I see a lot of people trashing Democrats around here, someone has to swing it the other way. Personally, I’m not even a life-long Democrat, I only registered as one to vote for Bernie Sanders in the primary last election and this one. No one is for the middle class and less than middle class more than Bernie Sanders. Otherwise I’m Independent and try to actually listen to both sides. I like John Kaisach, he seems pretty smart, reasonable and he’s a Republican.

        I tried hard not to make one snide comment. Just wanted to remind you where I’m coming from. Let’s all do our part to stop the spread.

        • and just to be clear, FUBarlavi, brought the “Fatties” into this.

          and as far as having class goes, do you read the comments around here or just mine?

          • And just to be a little clearer, since you brought it up,
            Bernie Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, though his policies match social democratic ones. Democratic socialism is defined as having a socialist economy in which the means of production are socially and collectively owned or controlled, alongside a democratic political system of government.
            What are the cons of socialism?
            Disadvantages of socialism include slow economic growth, less entrepreneurial opportunity and competition, and a potential lack of motivation by individuals due to lesser rewards.
            Prominent historical examples of socialist countries include the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Contemporary examples include Cuba, Venezuela and China.
            Under a socialist system, everyone works for wealth that is in turn distributed to everyone.
            Oh, and by the way, thanks for the education, and have a nice day.

  8. Well, PS Hiett, you missed the point, entirely. Wouldn’t be the first time.

    I hope you understand at least that this is America and not a communist country and no matter if I like him, Bernie Sanders is not and will not be President…

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