VICA in the News July 2020
|
|
After months of uncertainty, some businesses in Southern California were just starting to reopen, but now they're closed again. The Crenshaw Imperial Plaza has a number of businesses that can operate, such as grocery stores, but the fitness center is closed, as well as other retail shops. Stuart Waldman from the Valley Industry and Commerce Association believes the commercial real estate sector is going to take a substantial hit. "There are a lot of offices that aren't coming back, there a lot of store fronts that aren't coming back," [Waldman] said.
|
|
|
|
July 20
Column by Stuart Waldman
"Too many businesses have permanently shut their doors due to COVID. And too many workers have lost their jobs as a result of those businesses shutting down. Added regulations and rules for employers have not made things any easier to operate. There is no reason why we should be making the situation worse. If you are out at a grocery store, restaurant, bar or anywhere really, please wear a mask. It should not be a worker's responsibility to ask a customer to wear a mask and then hear about why it is unconstitutional. This is not political, and we should not be making it political."
|
|
|
|
July 21
Los Angeles was one of the first major cities in the nation to impose a stay-at-home order when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Now, L.A. may soon have the dubious distinction of being the biggest U.S. city to receive a second stay-at-home order, amid a surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that so far shows few signs of slowing. Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, watched with dismay as people ignored health guidance. "The city reopened, but people's behavior reverted to what they were doing before," Waldman said. "Unfortunately, people jumped back in like the virus was gone." Another shutdown could leave businesses, already reeling from months of losses, at the breaking point.
|
|
|
|
July 27
Op-Ed by Stuart Waldman
"It's critical to our future economic health that we think about the long term now, shortsightedness is to blame for this disaster in the first place. As it's evident that the unemployment enhancement is going to have detrimental long-term effects, it's important that we push for the government to cover 80 percent of wages, especially as we've seen its efficacy in protecting the working class in other countries. We have the opportunity to protect the jobs of millions of workers and save the local businesses that are critical to the continued health of our economy."
|
|
|
|
|
