The Reopening of Pasadena Begins to Take Shape

Mayor Terry Tornek told Pasadena Now that the city will reopen in phases and that he has had early discussions with some business owners.

The council will discuss the matter at today’s 2 p.m. meeting.

“We’re going to have a good active discussion on Monday about how to both disseminate information and get information from businesses on the reopening process that I hope is only a couple of weeks away,” Tornek said. “But people need to understand that this reopening is going to happen in phases. It’s not going to happen all at once.”

All businesses except those deemed essential have been shut down since March 19. Restaurants have remained opened, but their dining rooms have been closed.

The city has opened discussions with businesses. According to the mayor working groups with local businesses will be established.

Businessman Ishmael Trone said although a lot of businesses want to reopen the true question lies with customers.

“You have consumers out there that really don’t appear to be in any big rush to get back to normalcy,” Trone said. “I think that’s where the city officials are going to have the challenge. If they start opening up certain segments of businesses in waves in the city of Pasadena, how’re the consumers going to feel about that?”

Tornek has already spoken to a number of businesses and last week he attended zoom meeting of the Playhouse Village Association (PVA).

According to Brian Wallace, executive director with the PVA, “the situation over the last several weeks has been pretty dire for merchants and their cultural partners. And so as you might expect, everyone is eagerly awaiting what reopening looks like and when that might happen.”

“I think there’ll be pretty clear and easily adoptable guidance for retailers and restaurants and those can probably reopen with, with some relative ease in a matter of weeks,” Wallace said. “We don’t know exactly when, of course. But it’s a lot of the personal care fitness uses and clearly all of our entertainment and cultural uses, which the guidance says might be months away from reopening and that could really be devastating. So those are the things we’re watching for and trying to do as best we can to support them through this gap. But the longer the uncertainty goes and clearly the longer the closing time goes, the greater the concern grows.”

Tornek said that although all the right questions are being asked right now he does not have all answers,

“I do know based on what’s happened with the essential businesses that are open now, that there are going to be issues in terms of the number of people in the establishment, the social distancing between the customers — you know, putting blue tape on the floor to keep people six feet apart, having hand sanitizers, having masks for employees,” Tornek said.

“There are a couple of pretty easy to predict requirements for these businesses and they should be making those arrangements now so that when the, when the flag comes down and they’re allowed to open, they don’t start to hunt for blue tape.”

Tornek said although he doesn’t know which businesses will open first. He does know which ones will open last. Governor Newsom has made it clear that businesses with high risk and high contact like barbershops, nail salons and hair dressers will be in the last category.

Low impact businesses that can offer curbside delivery or outdoor delivery will be among the first to open.

“Everybody’s got to change the way they do business.”

Tornek also said events at the Rose Bowl and the Convention Center could be among the last things to return, unless promoters and organizers come up with ways to host events without spectators.

“Having sporting events would be great,” Tornek said. “Most of the revenue for these leagues comes from TV, not from the gate. If they want to organize an international soccer competition that uses the Rose Bowl, um, without, without fans and we can get paid to host that and we can get a piece of television rights for that, that would be great. We need something to cheer for.”