Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Gabbard Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Current, Former US Intelligence Members

16 hours ago

Trump Escalates Attacks Against the Smithsonian Institution

17 hours ago

California Republicans File Suit Seeking to Block Newsom Redistricting Plan

19 hours ago

Revised Congressional Maps Target Valadao, Boost Gray in the Valley

20 hours ago

Dollar Slips as Traders Wait on Jackson Hole

21 hours ago

Tesla Drivers Can Pursue Class Action Over Self-Driving Claims, Judge Rules

21 hours ago

Trump Eyes Reclassification to Make Cannabis Easier to Buy and Sell

2 days ago

America’s Wildfire Fighters, Unmasked in Toxic Smoke, Are Getting Sick and Dying

2 days ago

US Offers Up to $50,000 Bonus for New ICE Deportation Officers

2 days ago
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.

https://www.facebook.com/Salon.Posh.Fresno/posts/1954511014692196

 

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

Fresno Supervisors End Lease for Free Needle Exchange Clinic

DON'T MISS

Porterville Police Make DUI Arrest, Issue 13 Citations in Weekend Checkpoint

DON'T MISS

Trump Claims Powell ‘Hurting’ the Housing Industry in Latest Attack on Fed Chair

DON'T MISS

Everything Tennis Fans Need to Know About the 2025 U.S. Open

DON'T MISS

Madera County Warns of Contagious Canine Virus Outbreak

DON'T MISS

ESPN Won’t Air Spike Lee’s Docuseries on Colin Kaepernick, Citing ‘Creative Differences’

DON'T MISS

White House Launches Official TikTok Account

DON'T MISS

CMAC Will Award Cash Prizes at 72-Hour Film Race Screening

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Error Skews State Teacher Data, Analysis Shows

DON'T MISS

Gabbard Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Current, Former US Intelligence Members

UP NEXT

Yosemite Biologist Who Hung Trans Pride Flag From El Capitan Is Fired

UP NEXT

California Republicans File Suit Seeking to Block Newsom Redistricting Plan

UP NEXT

California, Other State AGs Urge Trump EPA to Drop Plan to Kill Greenhouse Gas Rules

UP NEXT

Nexstar to Buy Smaller Rival Tegna for $3.54 Billion in Big Local-TV Deal

UP NEXT

5 Things to Know About Newsom’s Plan to Redraw CA Election Maps

UP NEXT

Kern County Authorities Uncover Illegal Casino in Bakersfield, Seize Cash and Machine CPUs

UP NEXT

Potential Conflict of Interest Concerns Arise on Fresno Unified School Board

UP NEXT

MSNBC Will Become MS NOW, Lose Peacock Logo Before Comcast Spinoff

UP NEXT

Poll: Fewer Americans Satisfied With Treatment of Immigrants, Minority Groups

UP NEXT

America’s Wildfire Fighters, Unmasked in Toxic Smoke, Are Getting Sick and Dying

Everything Tennis Fans Need to Know About the 2025 U.S. Open

13 hours ago

Madera County Warns of Contagious Canine Virus Outbreak

14 hours ago

ESPN Won’t Air Spike Lee’s Docuseries on Colin Kaepernick, Citing ‘Creative Differences’

14 hours ago

White House Launches Official TikTok Account

14 hours ago

CMAC Will Award Cash Prizes at 72-Hour Film Race Screening

15 hours ago

Fresno Unified Error Skews State Teacher Data, Analysis Shows

16 hours ago

Gabbard Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Current, Former US Intelligence Members

16 hours ago

Immigrant Students Shape California’s Future. Don’t Close the Door on Them

17 hours ago

Fresno County Boardroom Will Now Display ‘In God We Trust’

17 hours ago

Founders of This New Development Say You Must Be White to Live There

17 hours ago

Fresno Supervisors End Lease for Free Needle Exchange Clinic

Fresno County Supervisors on Tuesday all agreed that the San Joaquin Valley Free Medical Clinic in downtown Fresno helps many of those harde...

12 hours ago

12 hours ago

Fresno Supervisors End Lease for Free Needle Exchange Clinic

12 hours ago

Porterville Police Make DUI Arrest, Issue 13 Citations in Weekend Checkpoint

President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speak during a tour of the Federal Reserve Board building, which is currently undergoing renovations, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 24, 2025. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Trump Claims Powell ‘Hurting’ the Housing Industry in Latest Attack on Fed Chair

Time Lapse Image of Tennis Star Coco Gauff
13 hours ago

Everything Tennis Fans Need to Know About the 2025 U.S. Open

Madera County Animal Services is warning pet owners about an outbreak of highly contagious canine distemper virus confirmed in the City of Madera’s riverbed area. (Shutterstock)
14 hours ago

Madera County Warns of Contagious Canine Virus Outbreak

Colin Kaepernick in 2019 workout for NFL teams
14 hours ago

ESPN Won’t Air Spike Lee’s Docuseries on Colin Kaepernick, Citing ‘Creative Differences’

President Donald Trump delivers remarks, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 14, 2025. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

White House Launches Official TikTok Account

CMAC 72-Hour Film Race screening
15 hours ago

CMAC Will Award Cash Prizes at 72-Hour Film Race Screening

Search

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

Send this to a friend