The owner of a Costa Mesa bar is being charged with illegally keeping the doors open after ignoring several attempts by police and city officials to voluntarily comply with the COVID-19 nonessential business curfew order, officials announced Friday.
Roland Michael Barrera, who owns Westend bar, located at 814 W. 19th St., is facing one misdemeanor count of violating and neglecting to obey a lawful order and regulation, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The bar’s manager, Luisza Giulietta Mauro, has also been charged with one misdemeanor count of resisting a police officer for an incident that happened at 11 p.m. on Dec. 12. Prosecutors accuse Mauro of grabbing a uniformed police officer and physically trying to keep him from entering the bar.
“This is not just any business. This is a business that was provided opportunity after opportunity to take corrective action and it has failed to do so,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “This blatant disregard of the local and state health orders is a slap in the face to hardworking business owners who continue to try to the do the right thing during these extremely trying times.”
Prosecutors said Costa Mesa police officers, city code enforcement officers as well as agents from the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control have responded to Westend “numerous times” since an emergency lockdown order was issued on Nov. 19 mandating all non-essential businesses to close between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
“On multiple occasions the Westend Bar continued to operate outside of the mandated closure times, at time hosting 50-70 customers without enforcing social distancing or facial coverings for their employees or customers,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
In its statement, the DA’s office referred to the establishment as “Westend Bar,” but the website for the eatery indicates it’s simply called “Westend,” and serves a full food menu in addition to cocktails, wine and beer. The state alcohol license for the bar also indicates a business name of Westend.
Before the case against Westend, the Orange County DA’s office said it has declined to file charges in nearly two dozen cases against business owners accused of illegal operations during the pandemic, and instead has supported education and outreach.
“Orange County is home to tens of thousands of businesses who have either ceased operations or have continued to operate while implementing mitigating measures to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Spitzer said. “It is unacceptable for a business to repeatedly flaunt the regulations and continue to operate without even attempting to institute any mitigating measures that are designed to save lives.”
Barrera, 47, of Costa Mesa, and Mauro, 26, of Huntington Beach, both face a maximum sentence of one year in jail if convicted as charged. However Orange County prosecutors said they are hopeful there will be no new violations against Westend and that the case can be resolved through education courses instead of jail time.
They pair are scheduled to be arraigned on June 22, 2021.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to indicate the correct name of the bar, which is slightly different from that provided by the DA’s office.