Barbers and barbers ask Governor Gavin Newsom to change a state regulation that prohibits them from working outdoors.
On Monday, Newsom signed an order shutting down interior services in a number of industries, including hair and beauty salon services, in 30 heavily affected counties on the governor’s watch list, which affects 80% of Californians. and seven of the nine counties in the Bay Area.
The order specified that interior services for these businesses had to be closed, leaving the door open for exterior services to continue.
But stylists and barbers are subject to section 7317 of the Business and Professions Code, which requires that “all hair, cosmetology, and electology services be performed in a licensed establishment,” according to the State Board of Hair and Cosmetology. California.
And on Monday, the board released a statement saying that “establishments within specified counties must immediately close and not offer any services (including outdoor services).”
Now stylists and barbers ask Newsom to change section 7317 of the code. They are represented by a letter signed by Assemblymember Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) and Fred Jones, legal advisor to the California Professional Federation of Beauty, which represents 3,000 members who pay dues.
There is a precedent for changes related to the pandemic, the letter argues. The California Alcohol Beverage Control Temporary Catering Authorization allows restaurants and bars to create an outdoor area to serve food and alcohol, and earlier this year, state regulators loosened restrictions on cannabis dispensaries and restaurants that serve alcohol to make it easier for them to resist the effects of COVID-19 in their industries.
“If you can waive rule after rule after rule about drinking alcoholic beverages outside, you can let these people take their businesses outside,” said Patterson, who held a virtual press conference with Jones and the owners of the salons to discuss the letter.
California Department of Consumer Affairs spokeswoman Cheri Gyuro said the Board of Hairdressing and Cosmetology “understands the effect of closures on businesses and is sensitive to that.”
“As it stands right now, under current laws and regulations, services cannot be performed outside. However, we are deeply investigating this problem and exploring options, “said Gyuro.
At Zoom, salon owners shared their stories and warned that the latest round of closings could be devastating for their industry if they cannot continue to work at all.
They were also careful to note that working outdoors would not be a panacea. While stylists can cut hair outside, services like shampooing and coloring, which require access to running water, probably couldn’t transition. Salon owners echoed the arguments that they are more qualified to provide safe services than some industries that can still operate indoors, citing the hundreds of hours of sanitation and hygiene training necessary to become a licensed cosmetologist in the state of California.
“We are completely overlooked for the opportunity to put food on our table when performing services for which we are licensed,” said Rosey Ibarra, owner of the Glendale salon, fighting back tears.
But allowing outdoor services could still “provide some relief to our industry,” Jones said. In many counties, salons and hair salons, classified as nonessential services, have been closed for much of the pandemic. In Santa Clara County, they reopened for the first time on Monday: hours before they found out they would have to close again at 12:01 am Wednesday.
Staying completely closed right now could mean closing your classroom forever, said Jessica Santiago, whose Long Beach Benders salon has been open for less than two years and doesn’t have the accumulated capital to survive the pandemic.
“Many stylists are going underground,” Santiago said. “This will be an even worse situation because we have no idea what people are doing for sanitation in their homes. There is no way I can regulate that at all. And guess what? You can’t tax them either. They will put all that money in your pocket. That is not going to be good for anyone. “
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