O.C. Considers Grading Restaurants

Orange County supervisors are expected to push ahead today with plans for a consumer-friendly restaurant grading system, even though the county lacks enough health inspectors to meet existing goals.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to review grading systems from surrounding counties and ask the county’s Health Care Agency to work out details and options during the next three months.

But the agency, which enforces safety codes at about 11,000 restaurants, delis, bakeries, bars and other eateries countywide, doesn’t have enough employees now to carry out the county’s mandate of inspecting every food establishment four times a year.

High turnover and an average of five vacancies among the agency’s 54 specialists mean restaurants get inspected about three times a year, said Jack Miller, the county’s director of environmental health. He declined, however, to comment on the effect that the board’s plans for accessible ratings may have on his department.

“We want to hear what the board’s interest is, and then we’re going to evaluate that and report back,” he said. “It’s premature to jump into what the needs are.”

Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties all use a posted grade system. San Diego’s system, established in 1947, has been used as a model throughout the country.

But in Orange County, diners can see inspection reports only by visiting the custodian of records in Santa Ana. The records contain details about violations but no ranking or grade that would allow comparison.

“When I eat in L.A. County and other counties, I personally feel a lot more comfortable knowing the county has established a rating for that restaurant,” said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, whose office researched the different systems.

Los Angeles County’s graded inspections of more than 30,000 food establishments was implemented in early 1998, along with a goal to increase the average frequency of inspection from 1.7 to 3 times per year.

To complete the graded inspections, which take longer to prepare, and to inspect restaurants more frequently, the county added about 50 code enforcers to its staff of 90, said John Schunhoff, chief of operations for public health in Los Angeles County.

“The public reaction has been very positive,” he said. “It has clearly brought home that a low grade can have an economic effect on a restaurant.”

Spitzer wants Orange County’s health agency to report also on its personnel and its goal of inspecting eateries four times a year.

“It’s way past due that the Board of Supervisors [receives] a report to tell us whether or not we’re doing an adequate job protecting the public,” he said.

Health inspectors make surprise visits to the food establishments to look for such violations as insect infestations, poor food storage and uncleanliness.

Major violations that present an immediate health hazard result in a closure. Last year, 208 eateries were temporarily closed. For minor violations, owners are given deadlines to fix the problem but are allowed to remain open.

The Health Care Agency recently created a Web site and plans to list restaurant closures on it, Miller said.

But some supervisors say the Internet is not enough.

“I absolutely believe we should post grades,” Spitzer said. “It’s one of the most effective consumer protection tools available.”

Posted grades would benefit the county’s $6-billion tourism industry, he said. “There’s no way that a tourist is going to get onto the Internet and start searching for a restaurant,” he said.

The Internet could be one part of an overall plan, said Supervisor Charles V. Smith, the board’s chairman. “The Internet alone is not very effective,” he said.

Smith wants to review different options before recommending a specific plan.

“I would want to see some community outreach to take input from the general public and the restaurants to see what they desire,” he said. “They need to be a part of the process--users and restaurants both.”