Eating Her Words

Adding insult to injury, third district supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who voted to ban outdoor in-person dining citing it as a “most dangerous situation,” enjoyed an outdoor in-person meal at Il Forno trattoria, one of her favorite restaurants, prior to the implementation of the new ban on … outdoor in-person dining.

Huh?

Apparently the things that make outdoor in-person dining a “most dangerous situation” weren’t in effect on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving but apparently were in full force beginning on Thursday. Aren’t we lucky that this supervisor knows exactly when the virus will spring on unsuspecting diners?

Because it has often done so; just follow the science.

Oh, wait – there is no science that proves that outdoor in-person dining is dangerous to either the diner or the server. So why is outdoor in-person dining being closed down? Well, that’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it?

When asked by reporters, Barbara Ferrer, director, Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health who advises the LA County Board of Supervisors on health directives including those pertaining to COVID-19, could not provide the numbers justifying the recommendation of the three-week ban. To date, to my knowledge, those numbers still have not been released. Could it be because they do not exist?

So why would Supervisors Kuehl, Ridley-Thomas and Solis vote to shut down a mainstay of an industry that was just beginning to figure out how to keep their doors open during the pandemic? In Montrose alone you see the installation of the “parklets” that provide outdoor space for restaurants to accommodate diners. With the cold weather looming, most have purchased outdoor heaters to further entice in-person diners. Apparently like the hearts of those three supervisors, those heaters are going to remain cold until the ban is lifted – which, if the California Restaurant Association (CRA) has its way, will happen sooner than later. According to Jeannie Bone, owner of Casa Córdoba on Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, the CRA is suing to get the ban reversed.

But many restaurants that have been operating on thin margins as it is may not be able to wait until either the CRA is able to get the ban reversed or until the three weeks pass and the ban is lifted.

And do we really believe it’s only going to be three weeks? If you remember we were told originally – back in March – the lockdown was going to last two weeks. Well, let’s see … we’re entering our ninth month of restrictions. I thank God every day for my staff that advised me to keep our doors open and the generosity of our readers who sent in “donations” to keep the lights on when our advertising revenue dwindled.

I understand what a difficult position the county, state and country is in. COVID-19 numbers are aggressively on the rise and officials are desperate to “flatten the curve.” I don’t envy them and the tough decisions they have to make.

But don’t feed me reasons of shutting down outdoor in-person dining in order to follow the science while feasting on cuisine from Il Forno or French Laundry.

We’re not that stupid.