SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG)  – Following Wednesday’s San Diego County Superior Court Judgement that suspends enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants, a group of 16 lawmakers urged the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to immediately cease all enforcement on restaurants that have continued indoor and outdoor dining operations.

The legislative effort was spearheaded by Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), the same lawmaker who prevailed in a COVID-19 related lawsuit early this year against Governor Gavin Newsom.

“Restaurants statewide have been crushed by the Governor’s arbitrary dictates. Yet to this day, the state has not provided any evidence showing that restaurants are responsible for the spread of COVID,” said Gallagher. “Dining establishments are just as capable as big box stores when it comes to following best practices like social distancing and other measures. The lack of science and the recent court decisions in Los Angeles and San Diego should be a wakeup call for the Governor and his minions at the ABC.”

Already an estimated 30 percent of California’s restaurants are at risk of closing permanently. ABC actions against restaurants will further damage the industry and destroy the jobs for the 1.4 million Californians who rely on their continued operation.

Assemblyman James Gallagher represents the 3rd Assembly District, which encompasses all of Glenn, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba counties as well as portions of Butte and Colusa counties.