Governor's Shutdown Order Kills Small Businesses & Further Deteriorates Mental Health of Millions of Californians

Statement

Today, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered small businesses across the state to close indoor operations including restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos, museums, cardrooms and bars. The Governor also shutdown indoor operations in counties on "County Monitoring List for 3 Days" such as salons, barbershops, gyms/fitness centers and malls. In their continuing effort to advocate for employers and workers, Northstate lawmakers Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Tehama), Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) and Assemblywoman Megan Dahle (R-Bieber) issued the following statement:

"Let's be clear: It is imperative that we all do our part by practicing social distancing and acting responsibly in order to suppress this virus and protect our community.

"But these efforts are undermined when the Governor is single handedly and arbitrarily crushing people's livelihoods -- their ability to put food on the table, to pay rent and to pay their bills.

"There is no justification for this approach. There is no evidence that any of these activities are causing an increase in Covid-19 cases.

"Restaurants and churches are not the source of our increase in cases. Small businesses are hanging by a thread and this action puts all the burden of this crisis back upon them. Main Street is struggling for its very life, while Lowe's and Home Depot are packed with people and having record years. No one can make any sense of these confusing orders.

"Businesses have NOT been the direct cause, they've done everything they've been asked to do successfully. These shutdown orders punish them, their customers and it completely misses the target, especially in our rural towns.

"It's painful to watch the Governor constantly change his mind if counties can govern themselves or not during this pandemic. It's even more painful being forced to sit on the sidelines as the California Legislature has handed over all authority to one man.

"Keep in mind that 7.5 million Californians are jobless. That EDD has not been able to handle the current unemployment claims. People who filed in March still have not received payments. How in the world will EDD be able to handle the enormous uptake in cases based on today's one-size-fits-all decision?

"We have said it before: human lives are at stake. People are stressed and filled with anxiety about their livelihoods. The mental health and other side effects of today's decision will be felt for years into the future."