The untold story of LA’s underground COVID-era speakeasies



“It’s closed. Let’s get out of here.”

My Israeli friend had picked me up from Woodland Hills and parked in the dimly lit back lot of a seedy hookah lounge in Canoga Park, a Los Angeles neighborhood where one doesn’t want to be caught on the wrong street at the wrong time.

These moments of frustration shattered trust in government and reignited a core American belief: Those in power should not live by a different set of rules than the people they govern.

It was June 2020. “Two weeks to flatten the curve” had overstayed its welcome by three months, and my friend was one of many Angelenos who refused to accept that empty streets, boarded-up businesses, and “parking lot hangouts” were the “new normal.” We were both in need of a hit of normalcy, and he said he knew a place.

“Just wait,” he assured me.

I was skeptical. Restaurants didn’t have the luxury of attempting to accommodate California’s stringent social distancing standards like Target, Walmart, and other big-name “essential” businesses. Opening their doors was illegal — and had been for months.

After we knocked on the side door, an enormous Lebanese bouncer poked his furrowed brow over the threshold.

“Welcome,” he said quickly, ushering us in.

Lockdown speakeasies

Lebanese, Israelis, and Jordanians packed the place front to back as menthol- and mango-scented smoke curled toward the dimly lit ceiling. Who knew a shared frustration over California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lockdowns could forge such peaceful relations?

“My gosh,” I thought. “This is a legit speakeasy” — and it wasn’t the only one.

Newsom’s draconian lockdown orders forged a slew of COVID-era speakeasies, welcoming customers through word of mouth, usually via Signal groups created by other Angelenos who craved a return to routine.

This evening of blissful familiarity — albeit with a Middle Eastern twist — was interrupted by a visit from the police. Their visit lasted all of 30 seconds. “Hey, guys. Someone reported you, so we had to show up. You all have a wonderful evening.”

The degree to which law enforcement enforced Newsom’s COVID restrictions varied from county to county, even within the same departments. Thankfully, the police in Canoga Park refused to force small-business owners to choose between putting food on their families’ tables and obeying Newsom’s dictates.

The price of defiance

Other neighborhoods weren’t so lucky. Novo, an Italian restaurant just 10 minutes north in Westlake Village, had to choose between remaining closed under Newsom’s indefinite restrictions or shutting down permanently due to lack of revenue. The owners risked defying the former to avoid the latter. Every day they remained open, Los Angeles County slapped them with a hefty fine — but the community rallied around them. Every night, the restaurant was packed with locals risking fines themselves to keep the business afloat — refusing to watch another small business in their community go under.

Five miles up the road from the Italian restaurant, a local pastor, Rob McCoy, was held in contempt and fined for illegally holding a church service with fewer congregants than people frequenting the Target across the freeway.

Within this context, I got my first gig as a writer — five years ago this very week — interviewing small businesses in the service industry for a local newspaper in the months following their government’s broken promise that they needed to close their doors for only “two weeks to flatten the curve.”

Some, like the owners of a small deli in Dos Vientos, tried to toe the line by serving burritos to customers in their parking lot. Others, like a cigar lounge in Thousand Oaks, became a hub for police officers who refused to enforce Newsom’s restrictions.

Regardless of their posturing during lockdown, one-third of all restaurants in Los Angeles County met the same fate: permanently closing their doors.

A double standard

Business owners — from both sides of the political aisle — already felt cheated by their government. But government officials' partisan double standard for themselves rubbed salt in the wound.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined thousands of protesters against the death of George Floyd, marching through the streets of downtown during the height of lockdown — while his administration issued crippling fines for small businesses serving their clientele.

The protests turned violent during the infamous “Summer of Love.” National Guard troops patrolled the streets at night while the rest of Los Angeles County was under strict curfew. A family-owned Indian food store in Thousand Oaks boarded up the business with plywood ahead of an imminent Black Lives Matter protest, which had been the catalyst for mass looting and millions of dollars in damages in neighboring Los Angeles suburbs. A gym in Agoura Hills reopened after BLM-affiliated rioters stormed and looted stores across Santa Monica en masse.

“Does the virus skip over the rioters?” the gym owner asked, tongue in cheek.

Despite the chaos erupting out of California’s major city centers, the most scathing image to emerge during lockdown was Gavin Newsom and California’s Democratic elite dining — maskless — at the French Laundry, one of America’s most acclaimed restaurants.

“Let them eat cake” didn’t work for the French, and it certainly didn’t work for California’s small-business owners, even longtime Democratic loyalists.

Turning point in American politics

“Two weeks to flatten the curve” became arguably the most transformative cultural moment in modern American history. Partisan lines blurred — even in deep-blue Los Angeles County — uniting people around the definitively American sentiment: What gives you the right to tell me what to do?

These moments of frustration weren’t just passing irritations. They fundamentally shattered trust in government and reignited a core American belief: Those in power should not live by a different set of rules than the people they govern.

And now, five years later, Newsom wants the country to forget he was the man behind the lockdowns. Embarking on a desperate campaign to depict himself as a moderate — likely with eyes on the White House — Newsom has never once fessed up to his failed leadership during the pandemic.

But small-business owners haven’t forgotten. The families who lost everything haven’t forgotten. And voters shouldn’t either.

If history tells us anything, it’s that those who trample on freedom once will do it again — especially if they think no one is paying attention.

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TikTok video shows Gavin Newsom inside a restaurant while not social distancing



Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was seen inside a restaurant in Fresno, California, where restaurants are only permitted to be open if they are outside because of Newsom's own stay-at-home order.

Newsom is seen on a TikTok video and photos at the Los Amigos restaurant in Fresno. Based on Newsom's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy" restrictions, Fresno is a purple tier area, which means the area has "widespread" COVID-19 infections. Purple tier regions prohibit bars, breweries, and distilleries to be open, plus indoor dining is banned. Only restaurants and wineries may offer outdoor service.

Despite Newsom's own strict coronavirus constraints that he signed into effect, the governor was inside a restaurant. Newsom, who has preached social distancing to his constituents for months, is seen not physically distancing in the restaurant.

Photo ops w/ no social distancing are okay inside of purple tier restaurants, but don’t you dare wait inside for yo… https://t.co/rcIIkD4VSK
— Bill Melugin (@Bill Melugin)1614488797.0

The video that was originally posted to TikTok shows Newsom with comedian George Lopez.

@PorscheCutie @RichardGrenell @TheLeoTerrell @JamesBradleyCA @KevinKileyCA @BuzzPatterson Here’s the video. https://t.co/CME7vZVzoW
— Reopen California Schools (@Reopen California Schools)1614462972.0

In a video posted by the restaurant, Lopez is seen without a face mask and not practicing social distancing, which Newsom has demanded all Californians practice since the beginning of the pandemic.

Chef Andrew Gruel, a prominent restaurateur in Los Angeles, claimed that Newsom was "dining/drinking" at the restaurant. He astutely noted that the restaurant had a table full of refreshments that commenters believe to be pitchers of water with limes or margaritas.

California is the only state where indoor dining is banned. Industry gutted. It’s an explosive topic. Newsom holds… https://t.co/L3O7aSrbV3
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@Chef Andrew Gruel)1614487940.0

Gruel called for Newsom's resignation on Twitter:

Newsom must resign ASAP. Yesterday he was inside a restaurant dining and doing a painfully cringe-worthy "bit" with George Lopez in a county that is NOT ALLOWED to have indoor dining. It is in purple tier. This is a slap in the face to every restaurant worker. Every citizen.
Newsom must resign ASAP. Yesterday he was inside a restaurant dining and doing a painfully cringe-worthy “bit” with… https://t.co/jdMeHvG7aB
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@Chef Andrew Gruel)1614481490.0

A spokesperson for Newsom's office told Fox News that the governor did not dine at the restaurant. Newsom's camp said he was there to meet with the restaurant's owners, who received a COVID-19 relief grant.

Newsom infamously sparked criticism in November after he flouted his own coronavirus rules when he was caught dining at the luxurious French Laundry in Napa. The Michelin-star restaurant reportedly received $2.4 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans from the Small Business Administration, which is allegedly 17 times more than the average California restaurant.

EXCLUSIVE: We've obtained photos of Governor Gavin Newsom at the Napa dinner party he's in hot water over. The phot… https://t.co/Py6J960zE6
— Bill Melugin (@Bill Melugin)1605677199.0

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Michelin-star restaurant where Gavin Newsom dined received $2.4M in PPP funding, 17 times more than the average: report



French Laundry, the swanky restaurant California Gov. Gavin Newsom was caught dining at in November, received $2.4 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans from the Small Business Administration, according to a new report by KABC-TV.

French Laundry is a 3-Michelin-star restaurant in Napa Valley that was plastered in national headlines after California's Democratic governor was busted in photos dining at the posh establishment with a maskless group for a birthday party. Newsom, who was caught flouting his own stringent coronavirus guidance, responded to the controversy by saying, "We should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner."

Chef Thomas Keller's luxurious restaurant is back in the news because of the amount of federal financial assistance it received. The world-renowned restaurant was granted a $2.2 million PPP loan by the SBA on April 30 to retain 163 employees. The eatery was provided a second PPP loan worth $194,656 to retain five employees on the same day.

Analysis by KABC-TV found that French Laundry's loans were 17 times more federal money than what the average Bay Area restaurant received.

French Laundry boasts an opulent chef's tasting menu that will run you about $350, which includes extravagant dishes such as "Stonington Maine Sea Scallop Poelee" and "Celery Root Manicotti."

"The I-Team analyzed thousands of California loans released by the SBA that show wealthier, big businesses are often getting access to loans before small mom and pop owners," KABC-TV stated. "Out of all the approved loans in California, 91 percent of larger restaurants with 300 or more employees got their loan approved in April versus only 52 percent of smaller restaurants with 100 or fewer employees."

Dennis Berkowitz, the former owner of the Vault 164 restaurant, told KABC-TV, that he struggled to secure $318,000 from the government to retain approximately 50 employees. The loan wasn't enough and Berkowitz was forced to sell his restaurant in July.

"I've had a 40-year run in the restaurant business, so I consider myself fortunate," Berkowitz said. "I really feel bad for the next generation of restaurateurs because they're screwed."

A report from earlier this month found that eight companies partially owned by Newsom received nearly $3 million in PPP loans from the federal government to deal with financial difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Newsom founded PlumpJack Management Group LLC, which includes five restaurants and bars, four Napa Valley wineries, a ski resort, and retail establishments.

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Journalist says Gavin Newsom's COVID-snubbing dinner party was far worse than reported: Attendees now 'privately laughing' at controversy



Journalist Adam Housley — an award-winning journalist and former Fox News correspondent — reported Monday that California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's much-maligned November dinner party was far worse than initially reported.

What's a very brief history on this?

Newsom has been under fire since photos emerged featuring his attendance at an upscale dinner party.

Following the reveal, Newsom apologized for his behavior and impressed the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing as California's confirmed COVID-19 cases continue to increase.

Last week, the governor announced a statewide 30-day limited lockdown.

In a statement, he said, "The virus is spreading at a pace we haven't seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are sounding the alarm. It is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and slow hospitalizations before the death count surges. We've done it before and we must do it again.

What are the new developments?

In two now-viral tweets, Housley reported that Newsom's dinner party was composed of at least 22 people — not 12, as previously reported. He also noted that the bar bill was approximately $15,000 and that the party took place solely indoors without masks.

On Twitter, Housley wrote, "Because Yountville is my hometown ... and where the French Laundry is located ... I thought I'd do some digging. Facts about the Newsom dinner. The bar bill was around 15-thousand. 22 people in attendance, not 12. No masks. All indoors. They got so loud, other patrons complained."

He continued, "There was 'zero effort' to go outside and there was no social distancing of any type. I'm also told some of those there are now privately laughing at the controversy. Remember this is my little hometown. The walls speak."

2/2 There was “zero effort" to go outside and there was no social distancing of any type. I'm also told some of tho… https://t.co/j66mTvESuY
— Adam Housley (@Adam Housley)1606168563.0

(H/T: The Daily Wire)