Close to half a year ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to target
businesses that refused to follow public health orders meant to control the spread of COVID-19. But in that time, even as many restaurants and other businesses continued to operate in violation of safety restrictions, state regulators issued only 424 citations and suspended only two business licenses as of Monday, data from regulatory and law enforcement agencies show.
As Californians find themselves deep in an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases, and hospitals find themselves calamitously flooded with new COVID-19 patients, it raises the question:
Is it time to reconsider the state’s relatively light touch on enforcement?