California Towns Rebel Against Pandemic Restaurant Restrictions

Now hard-hit Hawaiian Gardens, Commerce, Inglewood, West Hollywood and others are debating similar moves.In West Covina, a San Gabriel Valley hub of 105,000 residents, Mayor Tony Wu called the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s outdoor dining ban, a three-week order that began the night before Thanksgiving, the spark that set off a state already in the throes of a major economic crisis.“We’ve done everything they told us to do and now telling us to shut down isn’t right,” Mr. Wu said. In recent days, businesses and officials have seen a disparity in the most recent dining ban, with outdoor film crew catering spots remaining open, for example, while restaurants a few feet away are without a single diner.Despite more than 1.3 million virus cases and roughly 20,000 deaths statewide since March, anger is bubbling, with recent protests against the new restrictions staged outside the homes of the county’s health director, county supervisors and Mayor Eric Garcetti.Many elected leaders said that while they had not yet sorted out what it would take to create new health departments, they were nonetheless forging ahead, with many city councils meeting this week to discuss a range of ideas, such as contracting for services in an à la carte approach.Starting a department would not be easy — or without great financial cost.Health departments inspect, grade and enforce restaurant safety, plus prepare and respond to health emergencies and outbreaks.