Glove Requirement for California Restaurant and Bar Workers Repealed

After major opposition, restaurant workers and bartenders can go back to legally preparing food with their bare hands.

On Saturday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB2130, which repeals a ban that would have required restaurant and bar employees to use gloves or utensils every time they prepared food.

The original “no-hands” bill was signed by Brown last year. It’s purpose was to prevent food-borne illnesses.

Big restaurant chains didn’t put up a fight. But, small restaurants and independent chefs argued that hand washing is just as effective as wearing gloves.

The manager of Sojourner Cafe in Santa Barbara agrees. Naomi Bralver said, “There’s more likely to be cross contamination when people wear gloves because they are less likely to change them out and they touch all different types of food. We just wash our hands more frequently and I think that is more sanitary.”

Los Angeles based doctor Greta Hockett eats at Sojourner Cafe. She supports the repeal of the “no-hands” bill too. Hockett said, “Just by wearing gloves does not mean you’re clean. I’ve seen people handle money with those gloves and then make a sandwich.”

Not everyone is happy with the repeal. Tammy Tomlinson of Santa Barbara said, “I don’t agree. That’s pretty alarming because germs spread. It’s not safe, It’s not sanitary. It’s not healthy.”

If Governor Brown had not signed the repeal measure on Saturday, local health agencies would have started enforcing it on July 1.