Senator Grove Joins Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Demanding Governor Reclassify Restaurants as Essential

SACRAMENTO – Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) recently joined a group of bipartisan legislators advocating more needs to be done to help the restaurant industry and its employees. The letter signed by both Republicans and Democrats urged the governor to ‘immediately reclassify the restaurant industry as critical infrastructure before even more damage is done to our communities.’

An excerpt from the letter reads: "In 2019, more than 1.8 million jobs were attributed to the restaurant and food service industry in California. This equates to approximately eleven percent of employment in the state. Closed restaurants means jobs lost, missed rent, mortgage and car payments and a lot of unemployment checks...

"We urge you [Governor Newsom] in the strongest terms to reclassify restaurants as essential businesses, and adopt the industry’s protocols that would allow restaurants to operate safely. The future of thousands of restaurants, their employees and the unique character of our local communities are dependent on the survival of this industry."

Click here to read the full letter.