Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Joins Call to Safely Reopen Businesses

The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce is among a growing number of Southern California business organizations calling for state officials to take action to expedite the re-opening of businesses struggling to weather the ongoing pandemic.

Several area chambers of commerce have joined together to form the California Coalition for Safe Re-Opening, of which the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce is a founding member, said Pasadena chamber President and CEO Paul Little.

“We would like to see a reasoned and medical/science-based approach to fighting COVID-19, including clear guidance in creating safe spaces for business and quarantine centers for those who test positive but do not need to be hospitalized but may be unable to quarantine in a manner that keeps others safe,” Little said in an email. “We would also like funding to help businesses create safe and healthy spaces as well as a fund to help offset losses due to closures.”

To send their message, a rally was planned for noon Saturday at the TCL Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, according to the coalition.

Little said he hoped the demonstration would “point out to the state of California that they need to work with businesses, not billionaires, to create policy, protocols and procedures for safe reopenings.”

The event is intended to be socially distanced and safe, with masks required, Little said.

“No amount of economic activity is worth a single human life. That is not a calculus I would ever be prepared to make,” he wrote. “The health and safety of all of us is a priority.”

While there’s no doubt the pandemic poses a serious threat, Little said the state has dealt with the pandemic in the wrong way when it comes to businesses.

“We all appreciate and understand that health concerns have to take priority,” he said in a written statement. But, Little wrote,  “Our businesses, especially our restaurants, need stability to operate. 

“How can we expect anyone to invest in reopening when they could be ordered closed less than two weeks later?” Little said. “We need to see a coherent, long-term plan for reopening. One that we can be confident will remain in place.”

The California Coalition for Safe Re-Opening has put forward three measures it wants to see enacted at the state level.

They include requiring the state to use emergency funds to supplement county health agencies and enforcement divisions overseeing adherence to pandemic protocols; the creation of a California COVID-19 Emergency Business Interruption Fund for “businesses to cover expenses related to safe reopening in June 2020, as well as all losses including displaced revenue related to the July 1st closure order and future unanticipated closures”; and the formation of a state task force to work with state and local officials to implement mandatory testing policies and recovery centers “as the dual alternative to shutting down segments of the economy,” according to a coalition statement.

“The Coalition emerged over the last few months through unprecedented dialogue among local businesses, organizations and chambers throughout California, and their members, who, while understanding the necessity of closure orders in March, are frustrated with the lack of coordination of re-openings and the haphazard recent closure orders,” the statement said. “The Coalition urges local and county governments to support the effort to promote safe, organized, methodical and long-term reopening schedules.”