- June 23, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
As local authorities struggled to put in place and enforce COVID-19 health orders over the past year, some used more stick to others’ carrots. The toughest enforcement in the area was in Santa Clara County, which fined around 400 businesses a combined $6 million. Now, the county has been processing appeals from businesses with the time, resources and savvy to callenge the fines — and the process is raising serious questions among critics about the consistency and fairness of the enforcement.
That’s according to the Mercury News, which reports that more than a quarter of the businesses fined have appealed, but still haven’t gotten the chance to make their cases. So far, the county has completed its review of seven cases. Four of those seven businesses have seen their fines significantly reduced or overturned, with hearing officers criticizing enforcement for relying on unsubstantiated claims and standards too vague to interpret, imposing fines for…
