By Miriam Raftery
May 16, 2025 (Descanso, CA) – Tammy and Brett Cooker opened their Descanso Junction Restaurant in 2003, in a century-old building on State Route 79. Days later, the Cedar Fire roared through the region, destroying many homes and closing down I-8. But the Cookers swiftly earned the community’s loyalty, keeping their doors open to serve up displaced community members, stranded motorists, and firefighters.
During the COVID pandemic, they weathered forced shutdowns of indoor dining, surviving winter's frigid mountain temperatures by investing in plastic bubbles for outdoor diners under oak trees out back.
But now their business faces a new threat—this time, from Caltrans. Citing safety concerns, the state transportation agency wants to eliminate the20 perpendicular parking spaces in front of Descanso Junction and nearby businesses, replacing them with only six horizontal parking spots.
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