>Judge Says L.A. Health Officials Need to Show Evidence for Closing Outdoor Dining
(Los Angeles, CA) — While restaurants still can’t fully reopen, a tentative judgment from the Los Angeles Superior Court says county health officials did not provide enough proof for shuttering outdoor dining to stop the spread of COVID-19. In the 53-page ruling brought on by a lawsuit by the California Restaurant Association, Judge James Chalfant says the county “failed to perform the required risk-benefit analysis” before enacting the ban. California has also banned indoor dining in its most restrictive reopening tier keeping restaurants from offering indoor services in the county and also in other regions of the state. Establishment owners are upset about the restrictive rules while they try to stay in business through the pandemic.