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.