LA County fixes glitch in online reporting of restaurant closures

Restaurant and market closures resulting from public complaints are now posted on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health website after the county fixed an issue with its data management software.

larry.david.rest.inspecDue to that the county’s Environmental Health Director Angelo Bellomo called a “software bug,” information about closures that occur during complaint investigations were previously unavailable on the county’s online inspection database.

Rolled out in 2013, the software, Envision Connect, tracks inspection data for retail food facility, food truck, housing, and swimming pool inspections, but it does not track investigations into public complaints about restaurants.

As of Oct. 21, all restaurant closures, which can occur during routine and owner-initiated inspections, complaint investigations and reinspections, are posted online, according to a health department report submitted to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Friday.

“We’ve plugged the gap,” Bellomo said.

The fix is one of several recommendations being implemented after a Los Angeles News Group review of nearly two years of restaurant inspection data found the county’s 17-year-old grading system allows many restaurants and markets to operate with major health threats and gives those facilities high health grades.

Friday’s report is the second monthly progress report on the implementation of those recommendations.

An A for the ice cream shop on Curb Your Enthusiasm

Finally getting around to watching last week’s Curb Your Enthusiasm before delving into this week’s, and once again, the Los Angeles restaurant inspection disclosure program is the money shot of the show.

In addition to the A, the 31 Ice Cream has some sort of food safety seal I haven’t seen before.