Tyler Hayden
This story was originally published by the Santa Barbara Independent and is reproduced here in partnership with Edhat.
By Tyler Hayden
There is no doubt the vast majority of Santa Barbara bars and restaurants have done their best to comply with the state’s strict and ever-changing COVID-19 health orders, often at great sacrifice to their bottom lines, and sometimes their very futures.
Of course, there were slip-ups here and there ― masks riding below the nose, tables packed a little too close ― but more often than not a friendly reminder or two or three from county officials brought the businesses back into compliance. Sometimes the conversations happened off the record. Many chances were given.
A handful of locations, however, have stubbornly refused to follow the rules, even after multiple warnings and outright threats to their licenses. The notices often piggybacked off public complaints. But because the county has taken such a light touch with enforcement ― preferring to communicate and educate rather than issue fines or injunctions ― these businesses have so far escaped any consequences.
That may change as authorities said earlier this month they’re exploring both legal and administrative actions against “some of our more egregious and repeat offenders,” or who they called our “frequent flyers.”
In response to a California Public Records Act request filed by the Independent in January, we now know the identity of some of the top offenders. They range from State Street bars to Santa Maria steakhouses. All were given an opportunity to answer questions from the paper about their recorded violations. As of press time, none had responded.
Eos Lounge, Santa Barbara ― On June 25, 2020, reacting to multiple public complaints and firsthand observations by staff, the Public Health Department issued a “Notice of Violation” to the popular downtown Santa Barbara nightclub. Officials had seen customers “not wearing required facial coverings while moving around inside the business” and a “lack of social distancing between groups of customers / separate parties inside the facility.”
On November 19, 2020, the Health Department hand-delivered another letter detailing new issues, including a party of 20 people sitting inside at a single long table as well as “multiple guests standing up, mixing, mingling at the facility.”
The department threatened to close Eos and ordered the club to attend an administrative hearing, where it could defend itself. The owners did so successfully, but since then, Eos has racked up eight more public complaints.
The Swiss Restaurant, Santa Maria ― The North County steakhouse received its own notice on February 3, 2021, after six public complaints over a short two-week period just before the New Year. When inspectors arrived, they saw the business was serving the majority of its food and drinks indoors in direct defiance of Health Officer Order 2021-12.1. Since that warning, other patrons have observed similar activity.
The Chase, Santa Barbara ― The Chase, a State Street mainstay, was cited December 14, 2020, as a “repeat violator.” Customers were continually allowed to order and eat meals on the restaurant’s front tables, inspectors said, despite the takeout-only order. Waitstaff were routinely seen without masks on the crowded patio.
“To have patrons seated in the chairs so close to each other’s adjacent tables is infuriating,” one of the public complaints said. Since then, the restaurant has received four additional complaints.
Tap & Cork, Lompoc ― Since the start of the pandemic, the Lompoc craft beer and wine bar has been the target of a record number 13 calls and emails from concerned citizens. The most recent was logged last week.
On February 19, 2021, county staff knocked the business for “continuing to provide indoor service” and said its operating permit was at risk. Records include mentions of late night karaoke and customers eating and drinking at the bar after closing.
Jack’s in Old Orcutt, Orcutt ― This rural restaurant and bakery had no known record until December 9, 2020, when it started racking up violations. Records show indoor and outdoor dining when it wasn’t allowed.
Sandbar and Baja Sharkeez, Santa Barbara ― No fewer than 23 complaints have been filed against these two State Street bars. The most common grievances from both citizens and county staff were bartenders and servers not wearing masks, indoor and outdoor tables placed right next to each other, and people “generally not giving a damn.”
Two more Santa Barbara businesses ― Santo Mezcal and O’Malley’s Bar ― found themselves in serious hot water during the first few months of the pandemic. Santo Mezcal was close to losing its license for serving customers at its inside bar, despite at least three written warnings. But after conversations with Public Health staff, both locations made the necessary corrections and haven’t had any issues since.
Maybe these businesses should have just marketed themselves as the French Laundry and invited Governor Newsom and all his health lobbyist friends to dine, Problem solved! Never figure The Independent to be the rat squad, wish they would be more understanding how hard it is to do business in California let alone in the this pandemic.
Should have shut them down.
Agreed.
Note these businesses down, and never patronize them again. They were willing to cancel their fellow citizens to make a buck.
The latest report out from the CDC dated March 12 analyzed the reduction of new COVID cases achieved by restaurant closure orders and by mask orders. The restaurant closure orders reduced the rate of new COVID cases by about 1% and deaths by 3% according to the cdc data. Such a small benefit does not seem to justify the harm these policies have inflicted. Assuming a total of 500,000 COVID deaths, this would equate to approximately 15,000 lives. To put this in context, drug overdose deaths are projected to be about 86,000 for the past year, compared to about 70,000 for the year before COVID. This is an increase of over 20%, and it exceeds the lives that might have been saved by restaurant closures. It is starting to look more and more like mask mandates and lockdown orders caused more people to die from drugs, alcohol, and suicide than they saved from COVID.
I wish Tyler had published this list sooner, I now where to go to grab a bite to eat…these are my new fav’s!!
Doxxing businesses?? I agree with MP805. If Newsom visited them, they would be okay. It’s called leftist privilege.
What is the point of listing the offending businesses? If you walk into a place and you’re worried that they’re following Governor Newsom’s example or Nancy Pelosi’s example, then don’t go in to have a bite or have your hair done. Reminds me of “Margaret” who would always squeal on “The Beaver” and let the teech know what someone was doing wrong. The only reason I can see to publish their names is to “punish” them…..”Do what we tell you or else!”
Got any supporting evidence for such a silly assertion?
Yes, because local businesses haven’t suffered enough over the past year lets brand them with a scarlet letter. Odd post.
This isn’t about snitching, this is about a handful of businesses who felt superior to other establishments that they defied the rules while the others suffered. If they truly believed about the cause to stay open, why not band together and rebuff the rules because the city surely won’t take action against every restaurant in town. Instead, these people knew it was the wrong thing to do and they did it anyway to be selfish. This is evidenced by the number of complaints from customers who want to support them.
Businesses and livelihoods are on the line for a virus with a 99% survival rate. Apparently it isn’t that big of an issue since Newsom dined out twice without his security mask. Some people are more equal than others I guess.
Here is the cdc report outlining the reductions in cases and deaths achieved by masking and restaurant closures. The tables break it down by time period from 20 to 100 days after the orders were implemented.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/pdfs/mm7010e3-H.pdf
Here is a cdc article about the increase of drug overdose deaths during COVID.
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p1218-overdose-deaths-covid-19.html
And here is the very latest CFC data on the number of drug overdose deaths. Latest projection is nearly 90,000.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm
You have the right to stay in your house with your mask on for the rest of your life and not go to those businesses. You and the government do not have the right to decimate people’s livelihoods over a virus with a 99% survival rate.
Tyler is the kid in 4th grade, on Friday afternoon, who tells the teacher that she forgot to assign the weekend homework…. Nice job Tyler, you are the reason we are mired in the “Cancel Culture” wokeness that is taking down our country. Thanks for the article. My family, friends and I now know where we’ll be going and and giving our patronage.
Like a property inspection, an inspector called to any establishment would find something. This extremely petty article is a bad look for the Independent.
Who knows what other health and safety laws these businesses were willing to trash to better their bottom line? A little ptomaine or Hepatitis with your COVID special tonight?
“Mask mandates were associated with decreases in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates 1–20, 21–40, 41–60, 61–80, and 81–100 days after implementation. Allowing any on-premises dining at restaurants was associated with increases in daily COVID-19 case growth rates 41–60, 61–80, and 81–100 days after reopening, and increases in daily COVID-19 death growth rates 61–80 and 81–100 days after reopening. Implementing mask mandates was associated with reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission, whereas reopen- ing restaurants for on-premises dining was associated with increased transmission. Policies that require universal mask use and restrict any on-premises restaurant dining are important components of a comprehensive strategy to reduce exposure to and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (1). Such efforts are increas- ingly important given the emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants in the United States (3,4).”
Got any supporting evidence for such a silly assertion?
That’s right 3:44, but you missed the punchline. How much did these measures reduce deaths and new cases??? The report says about 1-3% at most! Drug overdose deaths are up by something like 20-25%!!! The net result of masking and lockdowns when you weigh drug overdoses, suicides, etc. against the lives saved from COVID is a net increase in the number of people who have died. We could have saved lives by never implementing the mask and lockdown policies in the first place.
Yeah, right. Hundreds of thousands of excess deaths aren’t from COVID, but from a larger percentage uptick in a much smaller number of drug/suicide deaths. You’re pretty innumerate.
You are correct Lakergirl, with the small caveat the government does have that right…. with just compensation and that is something they’ve neglected this entire time. Want to close all restaurants down for whatever reason? Sure, compensate them to do so. But they didn’t do that, not only did they not do that, the state made the businesses pay the property taxes on space the state wouldn’t let them use. Criminal…
VOR – now here is where we agree! Yes, the government should have provided financial assistance to all businesses that had to shut down due to the virus. Most countries in Europe were able to do this, why couldn’t we? If you force someone to shut down, help them out.
It’s all there on Twitter. Or was it Facebook? Parler?
History will regard the forces closing of restaurants as a bad decision that cost jobs and did not stop the virus.
I think history will judge both sides poorly. Logic and reason were abandoned in the name of political gamesmanship and fear mongering.
Even worse for those in the business of renting property. Over fifty percent of Santa Barbara landlords have had to pay huge mortgage, property tax, insurance, utilities and repairs for properties with non paying tenants due to government mandate regarding eviction moratorium. Rentals are the only business –not restaurants, not grocers, etc. –who are expected to provide services and huge cash outlay for free. At least restaurants are not being asked to provide their food and services for free.
grow up
Sac, it’s like you’ve forgotten all our comments back and forth over the past year, no not nothing and they aren’t doing nothing in Florida either. The government there is doing what it’s supposed to do, providing information on the virus, information on mitigation, assisting with vaccine distribution, supporting hospitals so they have what they need and supporting its general population and business as they all work together to manage this crisis. People and businesses in FL aren’t going about like it’s 2019, they are taking responsible mitigation steps that works best for their families, their communities, and their businesses. That is the opposite of CA where arbitrary decisions where made on what is “essential” (weed!) and what is not “essential” (schools!) with blanket mandates that try and cover every scenario for a large and diverse state all at once. Florida supported their population to make the right decisions down to the community level, CA thinks government knows best, we’re incapable of making good decisions on our own, and we should shut up and take it without questioning authority.