Newsom is being sued in court this month by several Carlsbad small businesses who received fines and citations during lockdowns last March.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s Coronavirus lockdowns have resulted in the permanent close of almost a third of all small restaurants. According to the California Restaurant Association, of the 1.8 million people employed in the restaurant industry, more than 1 million of them were out of jobs or laid off.
At the height of the lockdown season, a group of Carlsbad small business owners decided to stay open in defiance of lockdown orders. “[The police] asked me, are you knowingly going against Gavin Newsom’s orders? And I said, ‘Yes,’ ” says Oak and Elixir co-owner Annie Rammel.
Following Newsom’s now infamous unrestricted indoor dinner at the French Laundry restaurant, Rammel and other business owners called him out on his hypocrisy, staying open regardless of unlawful protocols or procedures.
“When the same person that’s telling you and restricting you from being open is going to a restaurant himself and eating inside, not six feet apart, it puts a little fire in you to say… this isn’t right,” Rammel said in a statement to Reason.
“I’m going to stand up for my rights. I’m going to stand up for my business that I worked extremely hard to run and to have, and I’m going to stand up for the community.”
Rammel and several other small business owners have banded together in Carlsbad to combat Newsom’s tyranny, who now number more than 100 throughout the city.
During the Pandemic lockdowns, Newsom instituted fines and citations which cost many businesses hundreds or even thousands.
Because of this, Rammel and several others in the coalition are suing Newsom. Unfortunately, they have not been successful up to now, and even been struck down by a San Diego Superior Court judge.
Currently, Rammel and her associates have brought the case before an appeals court.
For Rammel in particular, she states the governor has fined her several thousand dollars over the course of the shutdowns.
“I still feel like our rights are being tested, and that’s scary because we live in America where we’re supposed to be free, and we’re supposed to be able to have our rights and make the choice to be open…And I think that’s being threatened right now,” Rammel contends.
Photo cred: Anne Wernikoff
