A local judge wants to see hard proof that shutting down restaurants for in-person dining is backed up by science. Wednesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant sounded sympathetic to legal challenges brought against the county’s ban. Those suits were filed by the California Restaurant Association and attorney Mark Geragos, who owns the downtown restaurant Engine Co. No. 28. The judge says the county’s ban on in-person dining will remain for at least another week. But while he declined to issue an order lifting the restriction, he directed county attorneys to provide medical evidence about COVID-19 transmission being used to justify the ban. They’ll be back in court on Tuesday.
