Los Altos restaurant owner reverses course after planning to defy outdoor dining ban
Olivia Treynor/Town Crier File Photo
Employees at The Post construct a parklet in October outside the restaurant for outdoor dining. The restaurant had planned to defy recent restrictions and reopen outdoor dining this week.
This article was updated on Dec. 10 at 4:30 p.m.
At least one Los Altos restaurant planned to defy the state’s ban on outdoor dining as part of the latest shelter-in-place order that began this week, but reversed course after city officials said they would crack down on potential violations.
The Post, an eatery at the corner of Main and First streets, was going to reopen on Thursday, according to its owner, Vickie Breslin. But that morning, downtown restaurant owners received a strongly worded email from the city’s economic development coordinator, Anthony Carnesecca. It stated that any restaurant that tried to defy restrictions could be served with a citation, fine
The gathering fell within the letter of the law, albeit barely the Greater Sacramento region is slated to go on lockdown Thursday but not the spirit, given that public-health officials have urged residents to limit gatherings to three households or fewer as COVID-19 cases surge.
Asked by a Sacramento Bee reporter about the multi-household gathering, Democratic Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian replied, “Can we not have dinner?”
The answer would be “no” for most Californians. About 85% of residents including those in Mr. Nazarian’s West Toluca Lake district have been under a lockdown order since Sunday encompassing Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, which includes bans on both indoor and outdoor restaurant dining.