People v. Calvary Chapel San Jose CA6

I. INTRODUCTION

Appellant Calvary Chapel San Jose is a domestic, nonprofit corporation that operates a church located in San Jose. Appellant Mike McClure is Calvary Chapel’s senior pastor (collectively, Calvary Chapel). Respondents the State of California, the County of Santa Clara (County), and Sara H. Cody, M.D. (collectively, the People) brought an action against Calvary Chapel to collect administrative fines of over $2 million that the County had imposed on Calvary Chapel for violating certain public health orders requiring face coverings and submission of a social distancing protocol, which the County had issued to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The trial court granted the People’s motion for summary adjudication of the collection action, ruling that the appropriate amount of administrative fines that Calvary Chapel owed for its undisputed refusal to comply with the public health orders’ face covering requirements from November 9, 2020, through June 21, 2021, was $1,228,700, and entered judgment in the People’s favor. On appeal, Calvary Chapel contends that the trial court erred in granting the People’s motion for summary adjudication and the judgment must be…