Assemblyman Kiley Joins Roseville Restaurant Owner Matthew Oliver Who's Facing Pandemic Protocol Penalty
ROSEVILLE (CBS13) - They're filling up the tables with more orders coming in, but business at House of Oliver in Roseville could come to a screeching halt.
The restaurant is now threatened with a 30-day closure from Alcohol Beverage Control for defying COVID-19 protocols during the pandemic.
"These were nonsense guidelines. The governor knew they were nonsense guidelines which was why he didn't follow them," said owner Matthew Oliver.
"It's time to turn the page. We shouldn't be looking back, we shouldn't be litigating past battles. We shouldn't be saying we're going to take your license away for something you did 18 months ago," said Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin).
Assemblyman Kiley just sent a letter to ABC and the Governor's Office calling it a "selective and politically motivated prosecution" of House of Oliver.
"We had a lot of businesses who charted their own course. That's what we did here in Placer County, we followed the science, we did what was right for our people and so they're singling Matt Oliver out," said Assemblyman Kiley.
House of Oliver isn't the only business cited by ABC for not following pandemic protocols. ABC Spokesperson John Carr sent CBS13 this statement:
"ABC filed accusations against nearly 240 ABC licensed businesses in California for violating health orders during the pandemic. The accusation filed against the House of Oliver's liquor license in December 2020 for violating heath orders is one of them. The case is still pending."
The state complaint shows House of Oliver faces 13 counts after refusing to follow protocols following multiple visits by ABC.
"Our governor is extremely petty and is working overtime to make an example out of House of Oliver and the stance for freedom and liberty that we've made," said Oliver. "So what's really interesting is the day they filed 13 violations against us 230 restaurants in Placer County were open and operating at 100 percent."
Oliver says contact tracing never came back to his restaurant and that there was never a COVID outbreak involving his employees. While most of the nearly 240 cases with ABC have been resolved, Oliver says he wants his thrown out.