Local businesses in Little Saigon, “especially nail salons and restaurants, are taking a hit during this economic downtown,” according to the O.C. Register.
Is this why O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen recently cast the decisive vote against restaurant ratings proposed by the County Health Department?
Nguyen did this even though she had a massive conflict of interest – her husband, Tom Bonikowski, and her Chief of Staff, Andrew Do, co-own a Lee’s Sandwiches franchise in Stanton that has received major County health violations – and Nguyen kept this a secret from the public and the other Supervisors!
Moreover, Nguyen accepted over $12,000 last year from restaurants and other food establishments – many of them repeat offenders who have received multiple major County health violations!
Local Viet powerbroker Do Phu Nguyen, who funded Hoa Van Tran’s ill-fated supervisorial campaign against Janet Nguyen, also is one of the owners of Catinat Plaza on Bolsa Avenue in Little Saigon. He told the Register that he has heard from one of his tenants, Hong Mai Vietnamese restaurant, that there has been a 30 percent drop in people going out to eat in Little Saigon.
“Everyone is struggling,” Nguyen said. “This is probably the worst it’s been since the Vietnamese community settled down here in Westminster.”
So did Nguyen vote against the restaurant ratings, and against the public safety of Orange County residents, to protect unsanitary Vietnamese restaurants that are doing poorly in the Bush Depression? She did say that the ratings would be a huge burden on small businesses. But since when is safety a burden? Shouldn’t we expect our restaurants to be safe and clean?
Click here to contact the Supervisors and let them know that you want restaurant ratings – and don’t eat at any Vietnamese restaurants without looking them up first on the County’s restaurant inspections website.
Here are the Supervisors’ email addresses: district2@ocgov.com, PatBates@ocgov.com, janet.nguyen@ocgov.com, Bill.Campbell@ocgov.com, Chris.Norby@ocgov.com.
Thanks for the link to the Health Care Agency site to see the violations over the last 60 days. It looks like the inspectors are doing their job. It will be telling if the supervisors lay them off or reduce their ranks this next year. Right now it looks like the county is doing a lot to work with the Vietnamese Restaurants and make sure that their traditional style cooking is still safe from disease causing bacteria (they put a use by [4 hrs] tag on those dishes). Its a good one to add to my favorites and check when I’m planning a night out.
A man and his girlfriend were walking by a posh GG Eatery when they notice paramedics bringing a patron out on a stretcher. The guy turns to his gf and says:
A. The guy must have looked at his bill.
B. Someone’s fake boob must have exploded.
C. Good thing they don’t use letter grades on Restaurants in OC.
You decide or add to the list.
Without restaurant ratings – (especially in Little Saigon) – it may not be chicken you’re eating. Have there been any stats on missing dogs or cats reported in the area lately?