This Week on the Central Coast
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Thank you for continuing to read The Peninsula Report. This week’s news was pretty normal with most local stories being about COVID-related issues.
Monterey County’s Environmental Health Bureau continues to crack down on COVID violations.
Both, Aloha Coffee in Monterey and The Tuck Box in Carmel have been issued warnings for continuing to serve customers at tables after the new restrictions. Aloha Coffee has had its health permit revoked. However, they still remain open and are serving customers.
The Tuck Box has been fined $20,000 for violating health guidelines a second time and has had its health permit suspended (source). The health department says they could have their health permit revoked next, or even their liquor license.
The owners of both businesses have disagreed with the punishments (source - Monterey County Weekly). Richard Dunnuck, the owner of Aloha Coffee, says he plans to sue the city for discrimination. Jeffrey LeTowt, the owner of The Tuck Box, complained that the lock-down orders have not helped and he has “a constitutional right to make a living.”
The City of Monterey banned gas-powered leaf blowers.
Starting January 1, 2021, no gas-powered leaf blowers may be used in Monterey. The ordinance also restricts the use of blowers to between 8 AM and 5 PM. The city says this was passed to make leaf blowers within the city less disruptive to residential areas and more eco-friendly. To help spread the word, the city will be distributing flyers (view them here) that explain the ordinance.
Anti-mask protesters made a scene at the Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market on Thursday.
A group of people who claimed to have various medical conditions that prevented them from wearing a mask arrived at the Downtown Farmers Market and attempted to shop. Market employees quickly met them at the entrance and told them masks were required, as instructed by the various signs posted and by city law. The protesters argued their rights were being infringed upon.
Police were called to the scene soon after and explained that they could be cited for trespassing if they continued to disturb the other shoppers after being asked to leave. Other than some heckling from bystanders of both sides of the situation, the incident concluded without much difficulty. The Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market has a program set up for those who do not wish to wear a mask while shopping. They offer a personal shopper who will take a customer’s grocery list and shop for them before charging for their groceries at their cars. However, the anti-mask shoppers did not want to use that option.
This past week, our COVID positivity nearly reached 36% with 10 more deaths! Remember to shelter in place and wear a mask when you must go out.
For more information on Monterey County’s COVID-19 numbers, check out this Reddit user’s graphs on Imgur. They update every week and cover a variety of statistics, including case counts by city. Here is the original Reddit post, which gives greater detail of their sources, including the state of California and CHOMP.
If Aloha Cafe has lost their health permit why can't the forcefully close this business? City should step in and revoke the license also.