Will the victims of the draconian COVID policy ever get an apology? – Orange County Registry

Government officials are happy to apologize for things government officials have done, as long as they are not the government officials in question.

Apologies for things done fifty or one hundred and fifty years ago are becoming almost as common as the “National Donut Day” type announcements that fill the inboxes of news organizations in the quest for favorable publicity.

One thing government officials generally don’t do is apologize for anything they’ve personally done.

For example, there is no apology from California or Los Angeles County officials for the disastrous restrictions on restaurant operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, which were enforced even when officials couldn’t find data to justify them. While big stores like Walmart and Costco were allowed to operate, small businesses were crushed like a bug.

Related: I Don’t Believe LA County’s COVID Death Totals. This is why.

Restaurants and bars in particular were hammered and the reason had more to do with ease of enforcement than any evidence of public health risks. Health and liquor licenses are easily revoked, so it doesn’t take much to intimidate the owners of these businesses into quiet compliance. The same goes for hair and nail salons, businesses that require government permits and licenses to operate legally.

It takes a lot of initiative, intelligence, investment and hard work to open a small business, so the people who do are not easily intimidated. It takes a lot to deter them from speaking out.

And “a lot” is exactly what happened to one particular company, Tinhorn Flats, a family-owned Burbank restaurant and bar that stood up to the government and was destroyed for it.

Related: Is California Drinking Bleach To Fight Coronavirus?

Los Angeles County has now asked LA Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis to rule in favor of the county in a long-running lawsuit against Tinhorn Flats for public nuisance, as well as in the business owner’s countersuit alleging that the ban on outdoor dining in the province in late 2020 was unconstitutional. County attorneys asked the judge for an injunction barring Barfly, the operating company of Tinhorn Flats, from ever reopening the restaurant or any other restaurant in Los Angeles County unless all permits are obtained and all health regulations are followed, which is likely an attempt is to collect outstanding fines. There will be a hearing on May 4.

Related: Why is the State Passing Your Health Data to Political Agents?

For context, you may recall that LA County’s ban on outdoor dining was hotly contested in November 2020. At the request of the Board of Supervisors, LA County public health director Barbara Ferrer was unable to provide any evidence that outdoor dining in restaurants contributed to the spread of COVID-19.

Then-supervisor Sheila Kuehl voted for the ban, and hours later she was spotted outside a restaurant. California Secretary of Health Mark Ghaly stated at a news conference that the ban was “not a comment on the relative safety of outdoor dining” but “really has to do with the goal of keeping people home,” and Governor Gavin Newsom got got into some political trouble when he was photographed eating out with a mob of lobbyists at the lavish French Laundry restaurant.

If you are not a powerful lobbyist or government official and you decide to go against them, they will not make it easy for you.