Surprise! Red Tier Now Begins Sunday; Downtown Disney Restaurants???

[TP2000]

@TP2000 I'd add a bit more rum Now back to the bickering

Thank you!

Sadly, here in OC today the temp spiked up towards 85, so I just made some fresh guacamole and put it in the fridge to enjoy tonight with a glass of chilled pinot grigio while we do our bickering.

But once we get back to cooler temps, I am going to try that recipe!

 

[Darkbeer1]

Judge says L.A. County acted ‘arbitrarily’ closing outdoor dining in tentative ruling – Daily News

>>The judge noted that the county has shown surging COVID-19 cases are “burdening the health care system and action is necessary.” He also said the county has presented “generalized evidence” of transmission risk from outdoor dining.

But he said the county’s assertion that the virus can be spread in restaurants by patrons spending extended periods of time without masks “only weakly supports the closure of outdoor restaurant dining, because it ignores the outdoor nature of the activity, which the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says carries only a moderate risk, and less with mitigations.”

While the state’s order will be in place until Dec. 27, at a minimum, the county could foreseeably extend its own outdoor dining ban set to expire on Dec. 16 to extend beyond the state’s order — but only “after conducting an appropriate risk-benefit analysis,” the judge said.

Chalfant wrote that he can’t dictate what that analysis should entail, but suggested that the county “could be expected to consider the economic cost of closing 30,000 restaurants, the impact to restaurant owners and their employees and the psychological and emotional cost to a public tired of the pandemic and seeking some form of employment in their lives.”<<

 

[Darkbeer1]

OC Sheriff's Department Will Not Enforce Newsom Shutdown Orders - Anaheim Independent

>>OC Sheriff Don Barnes issued the following statement on December 5, 2020, in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest shutdown order:

2020 has been a difficult year for all of us in many ways. The pandemic, civil unrest, and fires have affected us all.

Governor Newsom announced new stay-at-home orders for much of California, including Orange County. The ever-changing nature of these orders and the increase of COVID-19 case numbers bring additional uncertainty and stress to California residents.

To put the onus on law enforcement to enforce these orders against law-abiding citizens who are already struggling through difficult circumstances, while criticizing law enforcement and taking away tools to do our jobs is contradictory and disingenuous.

Compliance with health orders is a matter of personal responsibility and not a matter of law enforcement. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will remain consistent in our approach to the pandemic. Orange County Sheriff’s deputies will not be dispatched to, or respond to, calls for service to enforce compliance with face coverings, social gatherings, or stay-at-home orders only. Deputies will respond to calls for potential criminal behavior and for the protection of life and property. Our actions will remain consistent with all constitutional rights.

As we have done throughout this pandemic, we must remain diligent in preventing the spread of the virus by following public health recommendations, like wearing a face covering and practicing social distancing. Conversely, policy makers must not penalize residents for earning a livelihood, safeguarding their mental health, or enjoying freedoms.

The month of December is typically a time for celebrating. I know this year is different, but we do not need to cancel the spirit of the season. I encourage you to remake holiday traditions to accommodate public health guidelines, reach out to a neighbor, or help someone in need. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will continue our tradition of participating in charitable efforts for those in need and our commitment to keep you safe during the holidays.<<

I built a 10 Foot Candy Chute for Halloween, and my front yard is decorated more than ever! We now have a Full Manger that takes up a third of the front yard. (Lisa was putting up her collection of Mangers in the house last night.

It will only be the two of us together this year, but Christmas Day will be full of phone calls and video chats.

COVID will not stop the seasons and the celebrations. Life goes on, and we will find a way to get things moving forward again, something I work on each and every day. Keep the Hope, if you can, be charitable.

And fight for your freedoms, because once you lose them, it is very hard to get them back!

 

[Figgy1]

Thank you!

Sadly, here in OC today the temp spiked up towards 85, so I just made some fresh guacamole and put it in the fridge to enjoy tonight with a glass of chilled pinot grigio while we do our bickering.

But once we get back to cooler temps, I am going to try that recipe!

It's a balmy 27 here but I have an open bottle of merlot that needs finishing maybe over the weekend. Enjoy your bickering

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

It was a beautiful day today and everyone seemed to be out when I was on the road...all day. It's obvious the majority of Californians are not buying this shutdown scam.

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

Gee, color me astonished... county officials lambasting others for NOT FOLLOWING SCIENCE etc. have in fact not been following science themselves? How EVER could this be!

So, when are the protests outside their homes? Where are the "peaceful" protests keeping them up at night and demanding nothing less than their immediate resignation?

Good to see law enforcement increasingly across the board doing what is right.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Breaking this afternoon on the Outdoor Dining scene...

Superior Court Judge Chalfant this afternoon ruled LA County "acted arbitrarily" in banning outdoor dining, after LA County officials were unable to present any compelling evidence or data that supports their November 24th ban on outdoor dining.

Judge sides with restaurants over outdoor dining ban, says LA County 'acted arbitrarily'

An LA judge issued a ruling that stated LA County "acted arbitrarily" and "failed to perform the required risk-benefit analysis" when it banned outdoor dining.

www.foxla.com

This won't change anything immediately for LA County, since last week LA County became part of the Mono County Metro Area (AKA "Southern California") and is not allowed to offer outdoor dining anywhere from Bishop to La Jolla.

But it's interesting that over a period of several court appearances the LA County legal team was unable to provide any compelling evidence or any data that they used to create the outdoor dining ban last month. They had been accused by restaurants of acting arbitrarily, and that's exactly what the judge agreed with today. It will be interesting to see how this develops over the winter.

And as I've said before, law suits saying the state can't impose these restrictions because "they're unconstitutional" will fail.

However, suits that claim particular restrictions were overreach or arbitrary can win. Such as this case here.

 

[TP2000]

And as I've said before, law suits saying the state can't impose these restrictions because "the unconstitutional" will fail.

However, suits that claim particular restrictions were overreach or arbitrary can win. Such as this case here.

Yeah, which was exactly the point of this lawsuit.

The lawyer that won this court case today was on KFI AM 640 tonight explaining he will be now be suing the State of California for the same reasons, as soon as next week.

The big win he got today over the County of Los Angeles was just the first step. Next up, Sacramento.

 

[TP2000]

It was a beautiful day today and everyone seemed to be out when I was on the road...all day. It's obvious the majority of Californians are not buying this shutdown scam.

I just got back from South Coast Plaza, the biggest mall in Orange County, if not all of California. The place was a mob scene, but as per the usual Christmas frenzy, it was also upbeat and fun.

I don't know what "20% of Capacity"actually means in Sacramento, but in Orange County it doesn't seem like that means the same thing.

I parked a hundred yards out in the crowded parking lot, but then waltzed right into a very busy Nordstrom at Christmastime.

The nice thing is, everyone was very cheerful and polite. The girl at the gift wrapping desk who bundled each of my gift cards in little silver boxes and bows was a complete doll. She just finished watching The Crown and felt the exact same way as me about Princess Diana's weird wig! The salesman who found me a gaggle of cashmere sweaters for the Pacific Northwest family and got a salesgirl to help box them up with nice silver bows was wonderful. My fellow shoppers were plentiful yet pleasant. It was fun!

And it's completely safe to shop like this because it's all Essential Critical Infrastructure.

Just like a marijuana shop in a strip mall or a flip-flop boutique at Downtown Disney.

P.S. Stumped on what to give good friends or close family for Christmas? Go to your local Nordstrom and get them a cashmere V-neck sweater. They'll wrap it for you in a lovely glossy box full of tissue paper with a beautiful silver ribbon. It's a real gift that is classy and says you care deeply about them, but that they can return easily at their local Nordies and get themselves something they really want. The True Spirit of Christmas, TP2000 style!

Next stop tomorrow, my friend Mark at the UPS Store!

The UPS Store | Ship & Print Here > 17853 Santiago Blvd

Find directions, store hours & UPS pickup times. If you need printing, shipping, shredding, or mailbox services, visit The UPS Store #0188. Locally owned.

locations.theupsstore.com

 

[flutas]

I'll put it into this thread since I feel it's more related to the lack of dining than anything else, but...

As part of my mandatory sacrifice to the Virgin of Guadalupe The Great Mouse, and seeing as I have already had the virus, I decided to visit Downtown Disney for one last time before I leave the state for a good while.

Let me just say, it was abandoned.

I paid $10 for my DTD parking ticket and easily parked in the first "block" of parking spaces near the entrance to DTD. Breezed through health/security without stopping once, aside from once for the worker checking my temp. I walked in, and saw about 10 people throughout the entire area stretching from ESPN Zone to Earls. The walk through DTD to BVS was also fairly empty, I would see a few people here and there but never any more than about a dozen people at a time. Walking in to BVS (no line) was a treat and brought back a lot of memories of the before times, only something was off. There was no crowd. The light Christmas music playing over the speakers, and almost no one there. Walking over to Hollywood Land, and again no crowd. One or two people taking pictures in front of the trolley parked in the street, but for the most part almost no one anywhere. The old timey music in hollywood, combined with the lack of people gave DCA almost a Fallout vibe. At a few points I expected to be called a smoothskin and get shot at.

All this to say, I think Disney is either trying to limp DTD through this order and hope it ends quick. Or DTD will be fully shut down again soon.

I will note, they trained CMs well over night to inform you of the order before going in. Before even getting through security/health I had been informed no less than about 5 times that food was take out only, the first of which was before I even paid for parking.

 

[Mindy55]

I know it seems like we don't need yet another thread talking about how Disneyland is still closed, but it seems like this is news that some folks may need and that shouldn't be buried in a months old thread with an unrelated title. So I apologize in advance if this is redundant, but it seems important enough (judging by the blaring headlines on the TV news right now).

Southern California, including Orange County, has just been placed into a "Regional Stay-At-Home-Order", and this news was oddly released at about 10pm on Friday night.

That means the following services/products currently offered at Downtown Disney are now limited to;

• Outdoor Patio Dining Is Closed
• Retail Capacity Must Be Limited To 20% Of Indoor Capacity
• No Outdoor Food/Drinks May Be Offered
• Only Packaged To-Go Food Orders May Be Sold By Downtown Disney Restaurants

Also, hotels are now closed entirely. So the reopening of the DVC units at the Grand Californian Hotel this weekend has been cancelled, although that's being discussed in that specific thread.

This order is triggered because the overall ICU capacity in Southern California went below 15% at some point on Friday, although also on Friday the ICU capacity in Orange County itself actually increased to 20%. But apparently the old rules from August doing this county by county no longer apply, and now "regions" are being held to a standard that crosses county lines.

It's all a bit confusing still, but there we are. It is yet to be seen how Downtown Disney businesses and restaurants will respond, or what will be open this weekend. This news and information is all coming out late on Friday night Pacific time. (How that timing and communication style was chosen is fascinating in itself!)

Orange County Register

Get Orange County and California news from Orange County Register

www.ocregister.com

"Orange County and all of Southern California received word late Friday, Dec. 4, that its diminishing intensive care capacity will thrust the region into the most restrictive stay-at-home order since March.

The move, based on an order from the state, will prohibit private gatherings of any size, require masks in public and shut down more non-essential businesses.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said the state was on the brink of a serious shortage of intensive care beds and that any of five California regions that dropped below 15% ICU bed availability would trigger for themselves a new lockdown for at least three weeks.

Region 5, which includes Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and several other Southern California counties, fell to a 13.1% capacity on ICU beds.

The new state order goes into effect at 12:59 p.m. Saturday and gives local health officials 24 hours to implement the regional stay-at-home restrictions, meaning Southern California will have until Sunday afternoon to enact them.

The order adds new restrictions to the kaleidoscope of business and public sector guidelines, again closing hair salons, playgrounds and museums and forcing restaurants to rely on takeaway and delivery orders.

Retailers will have to cut admittance indoors to 20%, though many already were running at a quarter or half capacity inside, per purple tier rules. Schools that already are teaching in-person can keep doing so."

Yesterday a judge ordered the California Governor to provide the science regarding the spread of COVID, supporting a ban on outdoor dining, and let’s Remember if you are a film set, you can set up tents, our door dine, whatever, as they are 100% exempt. It’s not a coincidence that they are shuttering businesses during the most profitable time of year.. those who have barely survived will no join the second wave of permanently closed businesses. This is absolutely disgusting .. I hope more people stand up against this nonsense

 

[Whippet Mom]

Oh, by the way, it's also Christmastime.

You know, some of the most profitable weeks of the year for restaurants and bars? Yeah...

personally I think newsom's plan is to totally destroy the economy of California and make them totally dependent on the government. Let's also remember that newsome and all the city and state officials are totally ignoring the ban and are out partying at their local hotspots. I am thankful I do not live in California.

 

[mickEblu]

I just got back from South Coast Plaza, the biggest mall in Orange County, if not all of California. The place was a mob scene, but as per the usual Christmas frenzy, it was also upbeat and fun.

I don't know what "20% of Capacity"actually means in Sacramento, but in Orange County it doesn't seem like that means the same thing.

I parked a hundred yards out in the crowded parking lot, and then waltzed right into a very busy Nordstrom at Christmastime.

The nice thing is, everyone was very cheerful and polite. The girl at the gift wrapping desk who helped me bundle each of my gift cards in little silver boxes and bows was a complete doll. The salesman who found me a gaggle of sweaters for the Pacific Northwest family and got a salesgirl to help box them up with nice silver bows was wonderful. My fellow shoppers were plentiful yet pleasant. It was fun!

It was all Essential Critical Infrastructure. Just like a pot shop in a strip mall or a flip-flop boutique at Downtown Disney.

I need to move to Orange County. People seem to be working to live and not the other way around. Anyway, seems to be much more my pace and vibe. Less congestion, wider roads and freeways. I hate how in Greater LA it feels like everyone wants to be where you are. Just people and cars EVERYWHERE. Cant move without being in someone’s way or vice versa. I just don’t think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

 

[SSG]

I need to move to Orange County. People seem to be working to live and not the other way around. Anyway, seems to be much more my pace and vibe. Less congestion, wider roads and freeways. I hate how in Greater LA it feels like everyone wants to be where you are. Just people and cars EVERYWHERE. Cant move without being in someone’s way or vice versa. I just don’t think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

 

[Stevek]

I need to move to Orange County. People seem to be working to live and not the other way around. Anyway, seems to be much more my pace and vibe. Less congestion, wider roads and freeways. I hate how in Greater LA it feels like everyone wants to be where you are. Just people and cars EVERYWHERE. Cant move without being in someone’s way or vice versa. I just don’t think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Which is why I moved even farther out to Corona...though the 91 is a cluster...thankfully I've been working from home for 3 years now so not really an issue for me anymore.

 

[denyuntilcaught]

personally I think newsom's plan is to totally destroy the economy of California and make them totally dependent on the government. Let's also remember that newsome and all the city and state officials are totally ignoring the ban and are out partying at their local hotspots. I am thankful I do not live in California.

That wouldn't even make sense even if you tried, lol.

Also Newsom doesn't have a second "e."

 

[Stevek]

personally I think newsom's plan is to totally destroy the economy of California and make them totally dependent on the government. Let's also remember that newsome and all the city and state officials are totally ignoring the ban and are out partying at their local hotspots. I am thankful I do not live in California.

 

[MisterPenguin]

personally I think newsom's plan is to totally destroy the economy of California and make them totally dependent on the government. Let's also remember that newsome and all the city and state officials are totally ignoring the ban and are out partying at their local hotspots. I am thankful I do not live in California.

I have it on good authority that the reason Newsom wants to destroy the economy of California is because he hates California and has never actually visited California.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Yesterday a judge ordered the California Governor to provide the science regarding the spread of COVID, supporting a ban on outdoor dining, and let’s Remember if you are a film set, you can set up tents, our door dine, whatever, as they are 100% exempt. It’s not a coincidence that they are shuttering businesses during the most profitable time of year.. those who have barely survived will no join the second wave of permanently closed businesses. This is absolutely disgusting .. I hope more people stand up against this nonsense

This has been addressed several times on this forum and in every media report that is not radicalized, namely, a restaurant and a on-set food service are two different creatures.

On-set food service serves only the crew of the film/show. The same crew that is working with one another all day long. It is akin to the lunch room of an office. Additionally, in order to film in CA, a set has to follow rigorous guidelines of constant testing. They are, in effect, creating a bubble. And if anyone tests positive, the set shuts down for two weeks.

A restaurant, OTOH, gets customers that are different hour to hour and day to day. In a week, they can get people from a thousand different households eating there, which is a huge increase in exposure to COVID. Guests don't have to be tested. And if someone with COVID gets traced to the restaurant, they close for just two days to do a deep cleaning. They don't have to close down for two weeks to re-establish a safe bubble.

The recent suit that that LA County lost was about equating indoor dining risks (which are real and documented) with outdoor risks (which has little or no documentation or studies AFAIK).

I think it will be difficult for the state to make a case about outdoor dining risks with a lack of data. But they'll be on solid ground banning indoor dining.

 

[Travel Junkie]

I'm honestly trying to wrap my head around some of these theories.

Newsom is trying to destroy the economy of CA
Newsom hates Disney and wants to purposely bankrupt the company
This is all some grand scheme to get rid of gas powered cars

and countless more over the last several months.

There are reasonable arguments to be made about what should and should not be open or should stay closed. The above theories do not help the cause of those wanting to reopen more industries.