- A California judge ordered a San Jose church Wednesday night to pay $1.2 million for violating mask and social distancing mandates during COVID-19.
- Rejecting the church’s constitutional claims, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Evette D. Pennypacker wrote in an April 7 order that the fines are “solely the result 0f Defendants’ own egregious conduct.”
- The ruling is the latest in the county’s relentless effort to enforce restrictions against Calvary Chapel San Jose, which included using surveillance techniques like geo-tracking through tracking phone location data and stakeouts at church gatherings.