Some East Bay hair salons plan to reopen, with or without approval
Some East Bay hair salons in the Tri-Valley region have agreed to open Aug. 17 in protest of Alameda County's shelter in place orders, and regardless if they get the green light to officially reopen.
PLEASANTON — Some hair salon owners are planning to open in protest of Alameda County’s rules later this month, with or without approval.
About 30 stylists and owners from the Tri-Valley region of Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore met Saturday to discuss their frustration over the state’s and county’s rules not allowing them to reopen during the pandemic. They are concerned that if they don’t reopen soon, it could mean the end of their businesses.
The stylists came to a consensus: They will protest by reopening for at least one day on Aug. 17, regardless if the county or state comes around to granting them approval. They will send a letter of intent to city, county and state officials this week, said Christina Palmer, owner of Flaunt Hair Designs on Ray Street in Pleasanton.
Palmer said even if owners are fined for violating the shelter-in-place order during their civil disobedience protest later this month, stylists agreed to help each other out by sharing the cost of the fines. Palmer and other stylists noted there have already been “rogue” salons who opened up anyway, or in secret, defying the county orders.
“We’ve been compliant long enough,” said Palmer on Monday in an interview. She said if they continue to sit back, this could go on until 2021, which could threatened their businesses survival. Palmer said she’s already lost four stylists in her salon.
Instead, they are advocating to be allowed to open indoors and be considered “essential employees,” with limitations on how many customers can be inside at once, strict cleaning guidelines, and masks required for both customer and stylist.
Palmer’s daughter held a sign Saturday that read: “If I can get my braces tightened why can’t I do your hair.” Stylists want to highlight the inconsistencies in the way the state and county have handled reopening: Why are people allowed to sit in a crowded plane, or go to a casino, but can’t get their hair done, Palmer questioned.
Alameda County also has not allowed hair salons or barbershops to even reopen for haircuts outdoors, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s go-ahead last month. Contra Costa County has permitted them outdoors, which Alameda County stylists argue means they are losing customers who cross the county line for a haircut.
“When you have Dublin literally across the street from San Ramon, how are they expecting people to not hop counties? How are they expecting the Tri-Valley to survive when clients can go across the street?” said Lila Robinson, a manager at Bishops Cuts and Color in Pleasanton last week, and an organizer of Saturday’s meeting.
But it appears Alameda County Public Health Department isn’t going to allow the reopening, at least for now. In a response last week to this newspaper, health department spokeswoman Neetu Balram said because of an increase in cases and hospitalizations, and the county being on the state’s monitoring list, all reopenings have been paused.
“We do not intend to open any new sectors at this time,” Balram said.
Palmer and other stylists and owners also plan to attend a peaceful protest on the state capitol steps in Sacramento next week on Aug. 11.
“We hope they see how serious an issue it is, how essential we are, and give us the green light to open prior to Aug. 17,” Palmer said.