People Post is a space for opinion pieces, letters to the editor and guest submissions from members of the Long Beach community. The following is an op-ed submitted by businessman Gary DeLong, a former Long Beach councilman representing the city’s 3rd District, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Long Beach Post.
Since Long Beach’s stay-at-home order went into effect on March 19, the impact of the order is working and the curve is flattening. Government leaders should be commended for their prompt actions.
And perhaps most importantly, it appears California no longer has an urgent need to be concerned about running out of hospital capacity or medical equipment, including ventilators.
However, there is one area of American life that is on life support and getting sicker by the day—our economy.
As COVID-19 has ravaged the economy, the impact has not been uniform. Low-income hourly workers have been more likely to be laid off than their salaried counterparts. People living paycheck to paycheck are at risk of losing everything.
These unintended consequences can be avoided with prompt government action.
Differentiating between “essential” businesses and “non-essential” businesses may have made sense in the beginning, but that time has passed. Any business that provides a job for a Long Beach resident to pay for basic needs like housing and food is “essential.”
Now the question should be, can the business open and provide a safe environment for its employees and customers? Other states believe the answer is “yes” and are putting plans in place to reopen their economy, some as early as May 1.
Recently Long Beach posted a set of regulations for “essential” businesses to follow, which can be found here. Businesses that can meet these standards should be allowed to reopen.
Sports facilities such as tennis courts and golf courses, and personal trainer businesses and gyms could be reopened at a reduced capacity, as they are in other parts of the country. If not for the positive physical health benefits, then for the mental health benefits.
It is senseless to me that an automated car wash at PCH & Ximeno wasn’t allowed to open just because it’s not considered “essential.” It most certainly is essential for the family that owns it and the Long Beach residents it employs. How are you going to contact COVID-19 when you don’t have to exit your car or have any human contact?
I’m impressed with the way Billings Hardware is running their business in Belmont Shore. You have to wait outside on the sidewalk, 6 feet away from any other customer, wait for someone to come out so you can go in, use hand sanitizer before you enter the store, wear a mask, etc.
Why aren’t we allowing other Belmont Shore businesses that can follow these safety protocols to reopen? Allow reopenings to occur in phases, and then monitor the results. If hospital cases begin increasing, then tighten the restrictions. Be prepared as the path may not be smooth and be prepared to make adjustments where necessary.
As a society, we need to start thinking about mitigating the potential long-term negative impacts of not restarting the economy. Following are just some of the impacts if we don’t:
Government revenues are declining, and COVID-19 expenses are rising. Almost everything that has been restored to the city budget since the Great Recession will be disappearing. Fire engines, rescue ambulances, additional police officers, sidewalk repairs, beach improvements, library hours, parks programs, etc. The city is already projecting a $40-million impact this year, and this figure will continue to rise. And the city is projecting an additional $9 to $16 million budget deficit next year and an additional $20 to $27 million in 2022. The City of LA Mayor announced employee furloughs over this past weekend, which may equate to 10% pay cuts for employees.
Many small businesses are already not coming back. And each additional day translates into more business failures and the jobs they represent.
The high percentage of Long Beach residents who rent homes can’t be evicted for a few months due to non-payment of rent, but that rent will become due at some point in the future and they may not have the funds to pay. And then they will have an eviction on their records which will make it even more difficult to rent an apartment or buy a home.
If health care facilities don’t start accepting elective surgery patients, what does the financial future look like for our healthcare system? Currently there are many empty beds because COVID-19 has fortunately not used much of the healthcare capacity at this point, thanks to Stay at Home and social distancing efforts.
Not every person or business can realistically be included in the early waves of reopening — individuals in high-risk categories may have to wait until a vaccine is available or other hurdles clear — but for many businesses, it’s time to start this conversation.
I’m interested in hearing from the community. What kinds of businesses do you think could reopen in a safe and healthy way?
Opinion: When is it time to begin reopening Long Beach?
People Post is a space for opinion pieces, letters to the editor and guest submissions from members of the Long Beach community. The following is an op-ed submitted by businessman Gary DeLong, a former Long Beach councilman representing the city’s 3rd District, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Long Beach Post.
Since Long Beach’s stay-at-home order went into effect on March 19, the impact of the order is working and the curve is flattening. Government leaders should be commended for their prompt actions.
And perhaps most importantly, it appears California no longer has an urgent need to be concerned about running out of hospital capacity or medical equipment, including ventilators.
However, there is one area of American life that is on life support and getting sicker by the day—our economy.
As COVID-19 has ravaged the economy, the impact has not been uniform. Low-income hourly workers have been more likely to be laid off than their salaried counterparts. People living paycheck to paycheck are at risk of losing everything.
These unintended consequences can be avoided with prompt government action.
Differentiating between “essential” businesses and “non-essential” businesses may have made sense in the beginning, but that time has passed. Any business that provides a job for a Long Beach resident to pay for basic needs like housing and food is “essential.”
Now the question should be, can the business open and provide a safe environment for its employees and customers? Other states believe the answer is “yes” and are putting plans in place to reopen their economy, some as early as May 1.
Recently Long Beach posted a set of regulations for “essential” businesses to follow, which can be found here. Businesses that can meet these standards should be allowed to reopen.
Sports facilities such as tennis courts and golf courses, and personal trainer businesses and gyms could be reopened at a reduced capacity, as they are in other parts of the country. If not for the positive physical health benefits, then for the mental health benefits.
It is senseless to me that an automated car wash at PCH & Ximeno wasn’t allowed to open just because it’s not considered “essential.” It most certainly is essential for the family that owns it and the Long Beach residents it employs. How are you going to contact COVID-19 when you don’t have to exit your car or have any human contact?
I’m impressed with the way Billings Hardware is running their business in Belmont Shore. You have to wait outside on the sidewalk, 6 feet away from any other customer, wait for someone to come out so you can go in, use hand sanitizer before you enter the store, wear a mask, etc.
Why aren’t we allowing other Belmont Shore businesses that can follow these safety protocols to reopen? Allow reopenings to occur in phases, and then monitor the results. If hospital cases begin increasing, then tighten the restrictions. Be prepared as the path may not be smooth and be prepared to make adjustments where necessary.
As a society, we need to start thinking about mitigating the potential long-term negative impacts of not restarting the economy. Following are just some of the impacts if we don’t:
Not every person or business can realistically be included in the early waves of reopening — individuals in high-risk categories may have to wait until a vaccine is available or other hurdles clear — but for many businesses, it’s time to start this conversation.
I’m interested in hearing from the community. What kinds of businesses do you think could reopen in a safe and healthy way?