Long Beach Restaurant Owner Facing Criminal Charges Over COVID-19 Violations
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) — The kitchen was open and lunch was being served this week on the patio of Restauration in Long Beach despite the notice of closure hanging from the front door.
"I'm not a political person," Dana Tanner, the restaurant's owner, said. "I am just here to make food, to pay my bills and to take care of my employees — literally that's all I want to do."
Tanner has had her health permit suspended and is facing criminal charges for violating the city's coronavirus health orders by continuing to allow outdoor dining at her restaurant. Hers is the first business to face charges in Long Beach.
"Well, we heard about that last night, and we wanted to come in and support her, because we don't really agree with a whole lot of this shutdown and keeping people locked down," John Bernath, a diner, said. "We were hoping that Long Beach would eventually become like Orange County and have a lot more places open."
Tanner has also been hit with six different citations this month with fines totaling more than $2,000. Long Beach Code Enforcement alleges that Restauration has failed to comply with Los Angeles County's COVID-19 guidelines — staying open since December.
"I made that difficult decision because, as I was saying before, there is a difference between being closed because you feel like it is the right and safe thing to do and being closed because you're afraid of what people are going to think of you," she said. "And I chose to make that hard decision, because I have team members that need me. I currently have a team member currently living at my house."
The city prosecutor said that the Restauration case was a rare instance where one business owner was engaged in egregious behavior.
Tanner had a hearing Wednesday about the status of her restaurant's health permit, but the matter was continued until Thursday.
