Citing crime, a posh Beverly Hills boutique bans face masks. Is it really about publicity?

Fraser Ross, owner of the once-white-hot Los Angeles boutique chain Kitson, is not shy about two things: dropping the names of celebrities who have shopped at his stores and expressing his dislike for the restrictions politicians put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During an interview Monday, Ross was interrupted while name-checking a Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan and taking a dig at California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti for implementing pandemic "rules for thee, not for me."

"There's a customer coming in with a mask," he said, "and I need to tell them they can't come