Pasadena Restaurants That Do Not Close In-Person Dining Could Face ‘Drastic’ Action

Pasadena restaurants, which last week were allowed to offer outdoor dining when all other eateries in Los Angeles County could not, will return to the mainstream today and, like the others in the county and now most also the rest of the Soutland, be allowed to offer customers take-out and pickup service only.

Pasadena, which has its own health department, could choose to not follow a county health order banning outdoor dining following alarming spikes in infections, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.  But on Sunday a new health order, one issued by Gov. Newsom, went into effect, overriding the city’s authority, and the city was forced to follow suit.

“It is devastating to see the rapid increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, and our Public Health Department is in constant contact with Huntington Hospital and other health care facilities to monitor the situation,” said City Manager Steve Mermell. 

“The governor’s order supersedes the city’s authority and is based on the need for regional and statewide control to address this pandemic,” said Mermell, according to a City News Service report.

“We are sorry for the impact of the state health order on our retail businesses, our personal care service providers, on our restaurants who can no longer undertake outdoor dining, and on all of us. But given the gravity of the situation, an approach of this magnitude appears necessary,” Mermell said.

The state-mandated “regional stay-at-home”’ order goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, triggered when intensive-care unit bed availability remained below 15 percent after Saturday’s daily update, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The question now is what will the city do if restaurant owners refuse to comply with Newsom’s order?

“They can have their health permit pulled, business license revoked in addition to other drastic measures,” said city Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian.

“We haven’t discussed repercussions yet, but enforcement teams will be out and the public typically will also alert us if they see any establishments not following the rules in which case we’ll respond accordingly,” Derderian said.

“We start with warnings and can escalate the response from there,” she said.

Pasadena will also have limitations of 20 percent on all retail establishments. Under the state order, all gatherings of more than one household are prohibited, sector operations will be closed except for critical infrastructure and retail, and face coverings and physical distancing will be required in all other operations, CNS reported.

Schools that have been granted waivers will be allowed to continue to operate, as well as child care facilities. City officials are awaiting more specific guidance from the state regarding additional restrictions.

“We need to do our part to avert the projected devastating scenario,” city Public Health Officer Dr. Ying-Ying Goh told CNS. “We must refrain from gathering with people from outside our household whenever possible. We need to work together to protect our family, friends, neighbors and businesses,”