WESTWOOD— Approximately 200 professional beauticians protested peacefully against the continued closure of all cosmetology businesses including hair salons in Westwood on August 12.
The protest conducted by hundreds of personal care professionals was first organized by Eric Taylor, the owner of Salon Republic, a hair salon located in Beverly Hills, Hollywood and West Hollywood, said The Beverly Hills Courier. On July 25, he made a statement against the order by the state governor Gavin Newsom which forced salons in California to close, by posting on Facebook; “Licensed beauty professionals undergo a minimum of 1,600 hours of State -mandated education…they are experts in exactly what is needed right now” “To categorize salons…the same as bars and restaurants…is insulting to the over 600,000 licensed professionals”.
He also started a campaign for collecting signatures to open salons inside with the comment; “…performing haircuts outside is unworkable and less safe than doing so inside a CA licensed and properly sanitized establishment. It creates more problems than it solves, and in fact, primarily serves the male customer, not the female. Our female beauty professionals are particularly vulnerable, financially, at this time, and deserve better from governmental authorities.” The campaign has collected 11,426 people’s agreement as of August 15, approaching its goal of 15,000 signatures.
On the day before the protest, Taylor posted on his business Instagram and looked for participants. “Our salons are safe. We’re closer to a hospital than most businesses that are allowed to operate.”
The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health published a resumed version of “Reopening Protocol for Hair Salons and Barbershops” on July 21. The requirements are specific to hair salons and barbershops permitted to reopen, and the Services must be provided outdoors. Services that cannot be provided outdoors must not be opened until indoor operations are permitted to resume.
