A win for business!
A win for business!
San Francisco tried to pass an illegal “tax/mandate” on business by making all businesses in the city pay for health care not only for their employees but others whom the city determined needed the coverage.
The cost of the program, even for employers who already had health care benefits for their employees like Fior d’Italia, would have been devastating. The mandate would have easily doubled the cost the employer with no improvement in benefits. The liberal powers that be in San Francisco seem to think business can support all their social programs and the pot of money is unlimited. Fortunately, the court found for business in this case.
On Wednesday, December 26 the GGRA (Golden Gate Restaurant Association), supported by Fior d’Italia and others, was awarded summary judgment against the City of San Francisco’s employer mandate for healthcare. On Thursday, December 27 city attorneys filed an emergency stay request to Federal Judge Jeffrey White, asking the judge to allow the City to implement the employer mandate on January 2 even though the mandate had just been ruled illegal. The proposed stay would be in effect until the appeal process was complete. The GGRA opposed the emergency stay request. On Friday, December 28 Judge White denied the stay request.
On Thursday, December 27 city attorneys also filed an emergency stay and expedited appeals motion at the 9th District Court of Appeals. The motion requests a stay through the appeal process, allowing the City to implement the employer mandate that the federal court had just ruled illegal. If not granted the stay, the city attorneys asked for an expedited appeals process. The GGRA opposed the emergency stay request, and has agreed to the expedited appeal. The exact timing of the appeal would still need to be agreed upon by the court, city attorney and GGRA attorney.
Oral argument on the stay motion is scheduled for Thursday, January 4th at 11am in Pasadena in front of a panel of three federal judges from the 9th District Court of Appeals.
