Grand Jury Gets Involved in California Health Inspections

A Los Angeles suburb has been ordered to face a judge over its health inspections. A grand jury in Orange County, California has ruled that local residents are not being properly informed about restaurant cleanliness. To solve that problem, the grand jury ordered the county to start grading restaurants with an A, B, or C, and to prominently post the grades in restaurants. The grand jury said the existing Orange County system does not motivate restaurants to clean-up and it criticized the county for not issuing fines at dirty restaurants. Currently, Orange County uses a small square card that says a restaurant is 'in compliance.' If a restaurant is found with serious violations, there is some small print on the card that says a "reinspection has been scheduled." But the grand jury report said that most customers are unaware of the cards or their meaning. The grand jury said that Orange county should follow the example of Los Angeles in order to protect citizens. L.A. uses letter-grades that are displayed at restaurants. A study conducted in Los Angeles concluded that customers are choosier about where they eat when grades are posted. As a result, fewer people are hospitalized with food poisoning in L.A. Under the order, the county has to reply to a judge. And while the county can ultimately refuse the grand jury's order, it has to provide a good reason for not following the grand jury's directives. It may be the first time a grand jury has gotten involved in restaurant health inspections.