Greater Los Angeles Hospitality Association Mission
Hollywood and Los Angeles, two names that are World-Renowned entertainment destinations – arguably the best “Brand” in the world – has the cachet, diverse venues and pizzazz attracting locals and visitors alike. A destination that should be setting the example of ‘How it’s Done’, while giving an experience unlike any other. Including business friendly processes to build a uniquely desirable and dynamic city. Yet we are too often at odds with city and state regulators and inefficient and costly bureaucracy. Significant time has passed since Los Angeles entertainment and hospitality businesses got its due consideration and respect from City Hall or our State Capitol, and the pandemic certainly proved how our city and state was no champion to our industry. Nearly 3 years after a complete shut-down of an entire industry we have little to no voice fighting for our survival, and no sufficient funds to help us survive the mountains of debt to landlords, banks, vendors, service providers and daily repairs going unattended to keep our business running efficiently, not to mention the extraordinary rise in costs from labor to food.
Contact Your Local Representative and Be Heard!
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Read GLAHA Letters to Local Government Officials
August 4, 2020
Honorable Governor Gavin Newsom & All California Senators & Assemblymembers
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, 1st Floor
Sacramento, California 95814
Dear Governor Newsom and California Senators & Assemblymembers,
It’s time that each of you start listening to the people that elected you and put your boots on the ground of reality. Your administration’s lack of state regulatory and financial relief is fast becoming a mortal blow to California’s hundreds of thousands of small business, full-service restaurants and millions of jobs that support women, minority, and family owned operations. A high percentage of the workforce is women and persons of color, that are being clearly forgotten and at risk of bankruptcy and even homeless. This is No Joke!
Restaurant and Bar Stats>
- $97BN Restaurant Market Revenue
- $3BN Bars and Nightclub Market Revenue
- Over 90,000 businesses combined
- Over 1.9 Million direct jobs which includes servers, bartenders, cooks, dishwashers, bussers
- Does not include vendors, distributors, growers, janitorial companies, linen companies, manufacturers of industry products, etc., which would put jobs losses at closer to 5millions jobs
- $7BN tax revenue annually – the largest tax generator in the state of California
As a service industry we have been yo-yoed since early in the pandemic. First, we close, next allowed takeout service, then outdoor seating – and now an ominous sign that you plan another shut down based on inaccurate testing. The massive revenue losses to operators with limited financial aid and support along with costly protocols for openings has created incredible stress and anxiety on an entire industry. Leaving clientele terrified and sheepish at best to even come out. Yelp a practical window into our industry – estimates 53% of restaurants have close permanently since the start of the pandemic.
Forbes predicts 89% of independently owned restaurants will shutter permanently by the end of 2020. Leaving fast food chains and massive jobs losses, not a good combination as we see obesity and poor health, in particular, in poorer communities a nexus to increased hospitalizations and deaths due to Covid19. If this isn’t a wake-up call to how unhealthy our country is and how poor our medical system is, then what is Governor Newsom and All California Senators and Assemblymembers? Your efforts should be on doing ALL that you can to back off of any new costly regulations and laws on the hospitality industry, and getting open the hospitality industry by mandating protocols(.)
Just as provoking: there is scant evidence restaurants and bars are anymore high-risk than big-box, groceries, home depos, pharmacies, tennis courts, and service stations. It’s those mask-less fools on beaches, attending family and fraternal gatherings, our campgrounds run amuck, that are high risk. If you cannot control them, why punish an entire sinking economy and industry.
Why not let us open with strict adherence to CDC guidelines for operators, staff, and patrons. Most owners/operators have life-savings invested in locations, employees, equipment, mortgagee, leases, and debt service. You doubt we will police our establishments??!!!
Here are three recommendations to mitigate our losses and mounting debt:
- Relax consumption hours of operation to past 2 A.M., which will allow for gradual dispersing of crowds and less stress on fire, life, safety and our communities as well as offsetting revenue losses due to venues operating at 50% or less capacity for social distancing
- Authorize local mayors to close (temporally) adjacent parking lots, parking spaces and even streets in dining districts for outdoor seating
- Impose Tip Wage for restaurants and bars not in collective bargaining agreement
- $12 Cash Wage with $3 Tip Wage
- Allow Employer to deduct 3% on credit card tips from worker’s tips
- Allow Employer to take a tax credit equaling the Employer’s portion of taxes paid on a workers Tips
- FORGIVE collections of state and local fines, fees, and forfeitures on our businesses. Especially with regards to CDTFA fraud penalties and interest, and mandate negotiation of original findings asap! Stop all CDTFA audits in progress and lay-off such audits for at least three years! It strikes us as ironic that you prevent landlords from collecting rents while imposing no such restrictions on CDTFA, ABC, Banks and a sundry other government fee-fed agents
- STOP allowing malicious and frivolous lawsuits as a way of life in California! Meritless lawsuits have become the norm and continually destroyed small businesses in this state and set the dirty standard for the nation, let alone extinguishing our American Freedoms. Allow defendants to collect ALL reasonable attorney’s fees, expert fees and court fees if a plaintiff loses!
- PASS AB 1552 and sign executive order forcing insurance carriers to Pay Up on Business Interruption Claims.
Most full-service restaurants presently are operating at one-third normal capacity. Fewer patrons require fewer skilled full and part-time workers, more debt and creditors, and far less tax income to the government.
As Governor, there is NOTHING you can do to compel this President and U.S. Senator to assist. But you can immediately act to put people back to work, create lost tax revenues, and forestall while we heal or even avoid what we believe is inevitable: the collapse of the largest small business sector in the state and the 5th Largest Economy in the world.
We have run out of time for anymore nonsense and lack of action from our leaders and regulatory agencies. It’s time to take immediate action to open our small businesses and get our workers back to work in California.
Sincerely,
Tricia La Belle & Cedd Moses President Vice President
cc: ALL California Senators & Assemblymembers
PO Box 27718
Los Angeles, California 90027
818 . 642 . 7391
August 20, 2020
Senator Toni Atkins
1350 Front Street, Suite 4061
San Diego, CA 92101
Senator Richard Roth
State Capitol, Room 4034
Sacramento, CA 95814
Senator Anna Caballero
State Capitol, Room 5052
Sacramento, CA 95814
Senator Steve Bradford
State Capitol, Room 2059
Sacramento, CA 95814
Senator Anthony Portantino
State Capitol, Room 3086
Sacramento, CA 95814
Senator Holly Mitchell
State Capitol, Room 5050
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: VOTE YES AB 1552 / Make Insurance Companies Pay Out Business Interruption for Mandatory Government Shut down / Save our Small Businesses and Jobs
Dear Senators’,
Our small businesses invest yearly in extremely costly insurance coverage that includes Business Interruption Coverage. A coverage that our small businesses thought they could count on from their insurance companies, that, they have paid billions to over the years of doing business in the state of California.
As the claims poured into insurance companies back in March, April and May, a nationwide boiler plate letter was sent out to every claimant – claim DENIED due to a ‘Virus’ Infection clause.
However, no one in the restaurant and bar industry was closed due to their business being infected by a virus. Restaurants and bars were closed by Government Order – a Business Interruption Coverage that our insurance companies do provide to many. Our restaurants and bars became unfit for use or unusable by this Government order to shutter all restaurants and bars causing tremendous physical loss and damage to over 90 thousand operations in California.
The health and safety of our industry’s employees and clientele are of most importance to our industry. Upon re-opening the business sector, the restaurant and bar industry was handed a 10page mandated protocols by the City of Los Angeles, costly, ambiguous and instilling tremendous anxiety and stress upon operators, employees and clientele. Our restaurants and bars have invested billions into this state, we are the heart of every thriving community and the ‘go to’ when a community need revitalizing.
Our industry is fighting for their lives and that of their millions of employees.
Senators’, The Greater Los Angeles Hospitality Association represents thousands of Los Angeles Restaurant and Bar owners who are counting on you to support AB 1552.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Tricia La Belle & Cedd Moses
President Vice President
PO Box 27718
Los Angeles, California 90027
818 . 642 . 7391
February 28th, 2023
Mayor Karen Bass
City of Los Angeles
200 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
RE: SUPPORT ALFRESSCO / Private & Public Use Made Simple
Dear Mayor Bass
The Greater Los Angeles Hospitality Association represents thousands of workers, performers, and small businesses throughout the Los Angeles area in the world of hospitality and entertainment.
The pandemic crushed our Industry and those who survived continue to struggle to keep their doors open while the costs of doing business rise extraordinarily.
Nearly two years ago we had a glimmer of hope when the Alfresco Program was enacted, and swiftly put into place to help save not only our restaurants but our communities by safely allowing people to get out of their homes, walk their neighborhoods and enjoying our great city amongst friends and family. Over night we created the pedestrian friendly city that this city has been vying to achieve for over a decade, with fiesta lights, planter boxes, umbrellas and seating that now embraced many of our city streets.
GLAHA Is extremely grateful that you have pushed back on City Planning to redraft their recent proposed ordinance, and hopefully, you have set the stage for DOT to consider the same by Implementing a streamlined process that suggests an annual and affordable fee for each ordinance without a ‘process’.
The Alfresco program has been overwhelming supported by Angelinos across our city. Whether Alfresco is on private property or public, there should be absolutely no required plan approval nor restriction on the seating that has already been working in place. Our restaurants are a VITAL and INTEGRAL aspect to the success of our community’s culture and health.
The City of Los Angeles, like other cities, should be partnering with our small businesses and provide concrete barriers, improved lighting and safe sidewalks as well as pedestrian friendly signage.
Mayor as you know our Planning Department and LADBS are two of the most dysfunctional and anti-business friendly agencies with one-size-fits all dynamics and costs that are debilitating at best…. certainly, another topic of conversation that need be had.
I hope we can count on you for your support and recognition of the cultural importance of our restaurants that single-handedly revitalize our neighborhoods and provide for a healthy quality of life amongst our friends and families.
Sincerely,
Tricia La Belle
President
PO Box 27718
Los Angeles, California 90027
818 . 642 . 7391
Read GLAHA Letters to Local Government Officials
Advocating Proper Representation for the Hospitality Industry Through the Following
Provide State & Local support for industry issues, including the LOCAL Bill (4 A.M.) & permit streamlining.
Improve relationships within our communities & promote the hospitality & nightlife culture, including relationships with law enforcement & local governments.
Reduce regulatory burdens to help streamline regulatory processes to make it easier for all.
Establish a Night Mayor program that will interface with the government & industry.
Establish a business network for the industry that will allow members access to connect.
Be a spokesperson for the industry & promote positive stories about hospitality & nightlife in Los Angeles.
Strengthen our industries voice as a major job creator in California
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