NAPA, Calif. – A coalition of Bay Area restaurants and wineries filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against California’s ban on outdoor dining, calling the restriction “arbitrary, capricious, and untethered to evidence.”

The lawsuit, filed in Napa County Superior Court, named Governor Gavin Newsom and California State Public Health Officer Tomás J. Aragón in the complaint, alleging the state’s latest restriction on outdoor dining violates equal protection and due process under California’s constitution. And it called on the court to stop the ban’s enforcement.

The suit was brought by a group that calls itself the Wine Country Coalition for Safe Reopening, made up of more than 50 restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, and suppliers across Napa and Sonoma Counties and other parts of the Bay Area. Its members include Indian Springs Resort, Brannan Cottage Inn, Sam’s General Store, The Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery, Farmhouse Inn, Vaughn Duffy Wines, Pizzeria Tra Vigne, as well as eateries outside wine country, including Bix and Fog City in San Francisco.

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