California restaurants and wineries sue Gov. Newsom over ban on opening

Over 50 restaurants and wineries in California's Sonoma and Napa counties are suing to reverse Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom's ban on in-person dining.

According to the Los Angeles Times, The Wine Country Coalition for Safe Reopening filed the suit earlier in the week against Newsom and Tomás Aragón, the director of the California Public Health Department.

The coalition alleges that the governor and the state's health department have not provided any data that proves that outdoor dining is more dangerous than other activities which are permitted, such as shopping or Hollywood film production, which Newsom has allowed to continue.

The group is citing uneven application of the restrictions which the group claims violates equal protection laws, as their businesses are destroyed by the Governor’s onerous restrictions.

The suit stated that "This blanket ban devastates the bedrock industry of Napa's and Sonoma's economy, and the livelihoods of thousands of workers like cooks, dishwashers, waiters, bussers and pourers that depend on it."

Two others suits have been brought against the Governor by the California Restaurant Associations and a downtown LA restaurant over LA County's ban on outdoor dining.

Despite Newsom's regional lockdown order which was imposed in early December, coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths have continued to spike.

Many Napa and Sonoma businesses have already closed permanently. According to the Los Angeles Times, "others have lost millions in revenue and laid off dozens of staff members."

Meanwhile, as previously reported by The Post Millennial, nearly $3 million dollars in PPP funds went to companies owned by Governor Gavin Newsom, even as many small businesses did not receive funding and were forced to close. Newsome owns PlumpJack businesses, a company he started in 1992, which includes a ski resort, five restaurants and bars, four Napa Valley wineries, a sports retailer and more.

In November Newsom violated his own restrictions attend a birthday celebration for political operative Jason Kinney at the French Laundry, located in Napa County. The party included executives from the California Medical Association, and was in direct violation of Newsom's COVID restrictions.

Attendees, including Newsom, did not wear masks or socially distance and the doors to the party room were closed because, according to a waitress, the noise "disturbed other guests."

Jesse Melgar, a spokesman for Newsom, told the Los Angeles Times in an emailed statement that the state will fight the lawsuits, and is confident it will prevail.