Mirror, mirror, on the wall—will I still be here in the fall?
I may actually own a magic mirror events company here in Los Angeles, but I know I am just one of thousands of small business owners across the state asking themselves this same question.
Going on five months now, the COVID-19 pandemic has put business after business under for good, and those of us that are still fortunate enough to remain afloat know that every day is another struggle to trudge through the constantly shifting sands.
Between the ever-changing public health requirements and increasingly-more-toxic legal environment, businesses across the state are dealing with costs and operating expenses they could have never imagined. And with wary consumers spending at just a fraction of pre-pandemic levels, it seems like we are playing against a stacked deck.
At least one of these burdens could be lifted, though, if lawmakers in Sacramento are bold enough to reverse course and support the small business community.
We are doing everything we can to open up and stay open, while ensuring employees and customers remain as safe as possible in accordance with the latest public health guidelines and new information regarding COVID-19.
Unfortunately, however, this also makes us targets for frivolous lawsuits, where individuals can sue businesses—without evidence—for supposedly contracting the virus while attending an event, shopping or on the job. In this backwards scenario, we must then prove they DIDN’T get it from us, not the other way around.
In reality, the costs of reopening right now—and staying open—are disproportionately high. But we are doing it anyway. We want to get back to the business of paying employees and taking group photos.
At Shamai Magic Mirror Events, we bring a little magic with us everywhere we go. And the smiles we get in return have been a little bigger with everything going on right now.
It is now time for lawmakers in Sacramento to give us some magic of their own in return. Protect businesses, support employees, and ensure Californians can slowly start to enjoy life again. If we don’t act quickly, more businesses will go under, more jobs will be lost, and magic might not even be able to undo the damage inaction will have caused.