LOS ANGELES — Signs saying "No Mask No Taco" are hard to miss at Hugo's Taco stand in Atwater Village.

They're in plain sight for people to see.

CEO Bill Kohne put them up this summer after he closed his business for over two weeks because customers were harassing his employees about having to wear a face covering. 

What You Need To Know

  • The L.A. City Council voted to give business owners the authority to refuse service to patrons who do not wear masks or face coverings while on their premises amid the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Councilman Herb Wesson authored the proposed requirement in July

  • Wesson said his motion came after "major setbacks" in July regarding COVID-19 and the response to it in L.A. and the state

  • The ordinance was adopted under an urgency clause, meaning it will be in effect immediately, pending Mayor Eric Garcetti's approval, and would end after the city's Safer at Home orders are lifted

"The confrontations were personal, vitriolic. One customer threw water through a window," Kohne said.

Fast forward to November, and while confrontations haven't ceased entirely at Hugo's, they've lessened.

On Wednesday, the L.A. City Council voted unanimously to give business owners the authority to refuse service to patrons who refuse to wear a mask.

The ordinance was adopted under an urgency clause and went into effect immediately.

Kohne is hopeful this move by the city council will allow his workers to feel safer doing their jobs. 

"It means that we're going to have a little bit more help with enforcement, it's a blessing, and it couldn't have come at a better time," Kohne said.

In July, the proposal was made by Councilman Herb Wesson after the county experienced what he called "major setbacks" surrounding the response to COVID-19.

The Wednesday vote comes at a time when L.A. County has surpassed 300,000 coronavirus cases and 71,000 deaths.

Kohne said the pandemic is exhausting enough without having to deal with added harassment by customers.

"There's already a lot of stress on the wage earner making a decision every single day whether they feel safe leaving their home and to be in front of the general public," Kohne said.

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Before the city council's decision, wearing a face covering was a county health department rule for businesses to insist that all customers have them.

Hugo's even went as far as to sell their own masks in hopes of reminding the maskless to wear one for the safety of others, including the essential workers at Hugo's.

"Our only hope to get through this pandemic in a shorter period of time is if we all cooperate and do this is a coordinated fashion all at once," Kohne said.

So Kohne hopes this step by the city council will encourage everyone to take the pandemic seriously, and those who choose to order at Hugo's will wear a mask without a fight. Otherwise, they'll refuse service.