50+ Restaurants Sue Gov. Newsom Over Outdoor Dining Ban

Thanks to SFGate and KTVU for letting us know about the recent lawsuit filed against Governor Newsom over the outdoor dining ban.

Over 50 restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms and suppliers in Napa and Sonoma counties have bonded together to launch a lawsuit against the Governor for his most recent ban on outdoor dining, calling December’s order “arbitrary, irrational, and unfair.“

The lawsuit claims that the latest shutdown constitutes a violation under the California Constitution’s equal protection and due process. In addition to Newsom, California’s Public Health Officer Tomás J. Aragón and the California Department of Public Health Director are also named in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is led by the Wine Country Coalition for Safe Reopening; businesses include The Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery, Farmhouse Inn, Sam’s General Store, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, and even a couple of places outside Napa and Sonoma like Bix and Fog City in San Francisco. The group argues that their businesses have been unfairly targeted, and the ban is “without scientific basis.”