State Senator Introduces Bills To Limit State Authority During Pandemic
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A state senator from Riverside County introduced measures aimed at prohibiting fines against small businesses for not complying with coronavirus regulations.
The proposed bills come at a time COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are surging. Some California counties and cities are choosing to not enforce the state's orders. Most of the state remains under stay-at-home orders as ICU capacity dips below 15%.
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Senator Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) says Senate Concurrent Resolution 5\ would end the state of emergency in California and give local governments more authority to handle the pandemic, instead of the state.
Senate Bill 102 would prohibit regulatory boards and agencies in the Department of Consumer Affairs and Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control from revoking licenses or penalizing small business owners who do not comply with COVID-19 orders.
"Business owners are draining their finances to comply with COVID regulations, and the Governor has continued to change the rules with no data to support his mandates," Melendez said in a press release Monday.
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