Strip club defies stay-at-home order
A San Diego strip club kept on offering live adult entertainment over the weekend despite a warning from California’s attorney general, who has vowed to take legal action if the business does not close to comply with the state’s stay-athome order that was issued this month.
Jason Saccuzzo, the lawyer for Pacers Showgirls International, said Monday that a court order issued last month makes it clear the business is protected from restrictions issued by San Diego County and state officials.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a cease-and-desist letter sent to Pacers and Cheetahs Gentlemen’s Club last Friday that they are violating the state’s new stay-at-home policy, which bars indoor and outdoor dining and prohibits social gatherings that bring together people of different households in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Becerra wrote that he was acting on behalf of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and the California Department of Public Health and that he will pursue legal action if the companies don’t comply.
“Our view is the existing order from the court allows us to have live adult entertainment and I don’t think the state issuing a ceaseand-desist letter trumps the court order,” Saccuzzo said. “But we are still considering our options.”
The preliminary injunction expires Wednesday, when a hearing is scheduled to discuss whether to extend it.