A Los Angeles Chinatown restaurant is threatened with closure after it was charged a $13,000 gas bill.
Judy Chen, who has owned the Hop Woo Restaurant for the past 26 years, told NBC 4 that she is afraid she will have to close the family-run business because of the high bill she received from SoCalGas.
According to Chen, her bill normally ranges from $5,000 to $6,000 per month, KTLA 5 reported.
This past December SoCalGas stated that January bills “are likely to be shockingly high” due to “an unprecedented cold snap across the nation,” NBC 4 reported.
On February 6, California Governor Gavin Newsom urged the Federal Regulatory Commission that regulates wholesale natural gas to investigate the price spike.
Chen is struggling to pay for the BBQ and seafood restaurant’s bill especially after the death of her husband seven months ago, according to KTLA 5. The restaurant is also recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chen’s daughter Judy Liang organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to keep the restaurant open, raising nearly $9,000.
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