Officials allow celebrity chef José Andrés to circumvent a ban on gas stoves at his new restaurant

Despite the California ban, celebrity chef José Andrés is allowed to use gas stoves in his new restaurant. because otherwise he would have to rearrange his menu.

The California building code change, effective January 1, means all new buildings must be fully electric to lower the state’s nitrogen oxide emissions.

Lawyers for the real estate group that will house the restaurant have threatened legal action if Andrés’ Zaytina project doesn’t have a gas stove.

Anna Shimko, an attorney for Simon Property Group, wrote in a letter threatening a lawsuit that Zaytinya relies on “traditional cooking methods that require gas appliances to achieve its distinctive, complex flavors.”

“Without gas and appliances, Zaytinya would be forced to change its signature five-star menu, which it is not prepared to do,” she wrote to the city in April.

She pleaded for the exemption, claiming that the Stanford Shopping Center, where Zaytinya will be located, applied for the project in 2019 and received approval from the city’s Architectural Review Board, including for a gas pipeline to be installed in 2021 became.

“SPG is confident that enforcement of the new Reach Code in this context is unlawful and unconstitutional and as such stands ready to take any action necessary to enforce its statutory rights to deploy gas equipment within Building EE.”

“The restaurant would likely move its location out of town if forced to compromise the quality of its cuisine and its reputation,” the attorney said.

“This would be an unfortunate loss for Palo Alto residents and an indemnifiable loss for which SPG would be forced to seek redress.”

Faced with the legal battle, Palo Alto administrators capitulated and gave the restaurant permission to use natural gas.

The building is “in a unique situation as parts of the project were already built or under construction when the city ordinance for all-electric new construction went into effect,” so “the city and the mall have agreed that this one project can go ahead. “The gas supply is consistent with long-established project plans,” city officials said in a May 16 statement.

This comes after the US recently considered banning all gas cookers over health and safety concerns.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced earlier this month that it plans to take action to tackle pollution from gas stoves, which has been linked to higher rates of asthma.

In a statement to Bloomberg News, Richard Trumka Jr., an agency official, called gas stoves a “hidden danger.”

California will phase out new natural gas stoves and heaters by 2030 after accepting a proposal from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), becoming the first U.S. state to take such action.

The proposal, included in the State Implementation Plan (SIP) Strategy 2022, aims to tackle nitrous oxide pollution in the state – homes and buildings produce four times more ozone than all of California’s gas-fired power plants combined.

However, the plan will cost about $96.2 billion to enforce and new homeowners will have to pay for expensive electric options going forward.

The report comes just a month after California announced a ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars.

CARB Chair Liane Randolph said in a statement, “While this strategy cleans the air for all Californians, it will also result in reduced emissions in the many low-income and disadvantaged communities that are exposed to greater levels of persistent air pollution.”

“But to truly meet the ozone standard, California needs more federal action to eliminate harmful diesel pollution from mainly federally controlled sources, from locomotives and oceangoing vessels to airplanes, all concentrated in communities that continue to bear the brunt of the poor.” wear.” Air Quality.

“We simply cannot offer clean air to Californians without the federal government doing its part.”

The new ban is part of California Gov. Gavin Newson’s climate initiative and aims to comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations limiting atmospheric ozone levels to 70 parts per billion – exceeding 21 million people living in the state this standard.