California salons say new closures threaten their survival

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — At the start of the year, Luis Lopez moved his barbershop to a bigger location with three more chairs and more than twice the rent. Then, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he had to close, plunk down more cash for upgrades to health safety standards and wait for state officials to allow salons to reopen.

Now, Lopez owes $10,000 in monthly rent for the coveted space in downtown Huntington Beach and says he can only keep paying it if he can cut hair at his Orange County Barbers Parlor. But Gov. Gavin Newsom said that isn't allowed under new closures issued this week to curb soaring numbers of infections.

“With all due respect, I can't close my doors. I just really can't,” the 45-year-old shop owner said. “I am going to have to shut my business if that is the case.

“People say work from home or do house calls, but people are still getting fined to do that, so what's the difference?” he added. “If they come in and shut us down, then that's what is going to have to happen.”

The closures Monday hit salons in the nation's most populous state especially hard. The industry is filled with mom-and-pop shops and independent stylists — many still struggling after a monthslong shutdown that began in March. While restaurants and retail stores are encouraged to move outdoors and set up on sidewalks, regulators have barred salons from making the same move.

Many salon owners feel like they're being unfairly punished. Unlike at bars or restaurants, workers and customers at salons wear masks constantly and groups don't typically gather there. They said they have ample training on sanitizing procedures and don't understand why they're lumped in with other businesses.

“We were temperature checking, we were doing everything to the letter, no one was getting in without a mask,” said...