Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Assemblyman Goes to Bat for COVID Shuttered Nail & Hair Salons
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 5 years ago on
August 26, 2020

Share

With many hair and nail salons forcibly closed due to the pandemic, one Assemblyman says it’s time to do better.

Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom asking him to quickly develop guidelines for safe indoor operations of nail and hair salons. California is the only state in the country that doesn’t allow beauty salons to open indoors.

Kalra hasn’t received a response from Newsom, but he said he expects an answer soon.

This comes on the heels of a statewide protest Aug. 17, when some salons opened in defiance of the state order. It also comes after a high-profile local battle involving a Tower District salon that opened because the owner said her back was up against the wall financially.

“Let’s give these businesses a sense that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for them. We know that we can create a safer environment indoors.” – Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose)

Being in Limbo

Kalra says being in limbo isn’t working for salon customers, employees, and owners.

“I think there is a way to thread that needle,” Kalra told GV Wire℠ by Zoom from outside the Assembly chambers. “I’m asking the governor to really work to find that common ground.”

Kalra says he’s open to this being a county-by-county decision, but he at least wants guidelines to help formulate a path forward.

“Let’s give these businesses a sense that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for them,” said Kalra. “We know that we can create a safer environment indoors.”

Economically Devastated

Immigrants own many of the nail salons in his district, Kalra said. And, the closures hurt businesses started 10, 20, or 30 years ago.

“In my district, just like it’s been the case in many others, it’s been pretty devastating.”

He recently visited several of those salons and understands their frustrations. He knows these businesses went to the trouble of installing plexiglass separators and new sanitation equipment — only to open for one day before being shut back down.

Trained in Sanitation

“They’re already trained on how to keep a sanitary environment,” said Kalra. “We’re talking about responsible operators that know what they’re doing.

“As I’m sitting here, there’s literally ash on the ground here on the portico of the Capitol from all the wildfires, so that we know that’s not a solution, especially for some of the kinds of services offered. You can’t do a lot of them outdoors.”

Tower District’s Salon Posh Owner Reacts

GV Wire℠ reached out to Salon Posh owner Tanya Alvarado for her reaction to Kalra’s letter.

“He pretty much took the words out of my mouth,” said Alvarado.

“He pretty much took the words out of my mouth.”Tanya Alvarado, Salon Posh owner reacting to an Assemblyman’s effort 

Alvarado reopened her Tower District salon on Tuesday, Aug. 18, but shut down three days later after receiving a $1,075 fine from the city with a threat of an additional $5,000 fine if she remained open.

Alvarado says that she’s lost $30,000 during the pandemic shutdown.

A fundraiser has generated enough support to cover her fine.

 

Current State Guidance

California hair and nail salons can only provide services outdoors.

The California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency released rules allowing hairstylists, barbers, manicurists, massage therapists, and estheticians to offer some personal care services outdoors.

They can operate under tents, canopies, or other shelters so long as no more than one side is enclosed, the agency said. This allows for enough outdoor air movement to deter the buildup or spread of the virus.

The rules still bar chemical hair services including shampooing, permanent waving, bleaching, tinting, coloring, dyeing, and straightening. The ban also applies to electrolysis, tattooing, and piercing.

 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41

DON'T MISS

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

DON'T MISS

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

DON'T MISS

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

DON'T MISS

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

DON'T MISS

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

DON'T MISS

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

DON'T MISS

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

DON'T MISS

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

DON'T MISS

Driving Near the Fresno Airport Next Week? Plan for Road Closures

UP NEXT

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

UP NEXT

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

UP NEXT

California’s Economy Ranks Fourth Worldwide, Surpasses Japan

UP NEXT

Fresno Ranks Fourth in US for an Affordable Night Out

UP NEXT

Why Texas Is Ahead of California on Bilingual Education

UP NEXT

Abundance Meets Resistance: Are CA Dems Finally Ready to Go All In on Building Housing?

UP NEXT

Less Than Half of Californians Think K-12 Schools Are on the Right Track: Poll

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

UP NEXT

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

UP NEXT

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

10 hours ago

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

10 hours ago

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

11 hours ago

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

11 hours ago

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

12 hours ago

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

12 hours ago

Driving Near the Fresno Airport Next Week? Plan for Road Closures

12 hours ago

Misty Her: Push for Fresno Unified Turnaround Starts Now With ‘Boots on the Ground’

12 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest 17 in Domestic Violence Crackdown

13 hours ago

What’s Next for Fresno Smoke Shop Ordinance: Lawsuit, Veto, Override?

13 hours ago

Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41

Virginia Giuffre, a former victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring who said she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” as a te...

6 hours ago

Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks to reporters in New York on Aug. 27, 2019. Giuffre, a former victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring who said she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” as a teenager to rich and powerful predators, including Prince Andrew of Britain, died on Friday at her farm in Western Australia. She was 41. (Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times)
6 hours ago

Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41

10 hours ago

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

10 hours ago

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

10 hours ago

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

Selma Mayor Scott Robertson (left) has been charged with misdemeanor electioneering for allegedly campaigning near voters at a polling place during the November 2024 election. (Facebook)
10 hours ago

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

11 hours ago

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

11 hours ago

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

12 hours ago

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend