Return to purple tier sparks anger among business owners

Riverside County Supervisor Karen Spiegel speaks during today's meeting in Riverside.

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Menifee business owners reacted with increasing anger and residents on social media suggested they defy orders today after the state moved Riverside County back to the highest restricted, or purple, tier in the COVID-19 recovery plan.

Saying that an increase in the county’s adjusted COVID-19 case rate exceeds the limits of the less restrictive red tier, county health officials said today the state has informed them of the setback. A week ago, citing increasing numbers, state health officials gave Riverside County one week to see if the data improved.

As a result of today’s announcement, businesses such as restaurants and gyms can no longer offer indoor services – something they returned to just a few weeks ago. In addition, places of worship are not allowed to hold indoor services.

Small business owners such as Merna Ibrahim of Merna’s Café & Grill say the situation is now beyond critical.

“If you want businesses to comply, you have to give them funds they need to pay rent and expenses,” said Ibrahim, whose family has run the restaurant (previously named Boston Billie’s) in the Cherry Hills Plaza for decades. “This has gone on since March and it’s ridiculous. We have to shut down while other businesses like grocery stories remain open.

“Every restaurant has to be very clean, and that was the case even before COVID. People go to a grocery store and multiple people touch the same items. Nothing makes sense. By law, what they’re doing isn’t legitimate.”

Ibrahim says business is off “like 95 percent” during the pandemic. Merna’s has considerable indoor seating, but it hasn’t been able to host banquets, which is its primary source of revenue. She is trying to survive with to-go orders and outdoor patio seating, but much of the staff has been laid off and meeting expenses has been a challenge.

“We have to-go orders, but we haven’t been doing a lot of catering because people can’t gather in large groups,” she said. “I care about people’s health, but I think the damage from the pandemic is worse than the pandemic itself, with the depression and anxiety people are suffering. Somebody needs to stand up for us. Maybe if everybody stands together, we can get something done.”

Many residents commenting on the Menifee 24/7 Facebook page suggested that businesses should ignore the state’s order and remain open for indoor services. Those that do so would have no guarantee of support from City of Menifee and county officials, who continue to say they are bound by the state order.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors previously discussed the dangers of defying state orders, potentially risking hundreds of millions of funds withheld by the state as punishment. While avoiding that risky move, Supervisors continue to express frustration with what Governor Gavin Newsom’s health edicts are doing to local businesses.

“I’ve now gone from frustration to anger with the governor,” Supervisor Karen Spiegel said after the announcement by county public health officer Cameron Kaiser and health director Kim Saruwatari. “We’ve held back on some things to be compliant, but we keep getting thrown from science to science.

“Now the governor wants to check all the vaccines that have been approved. Who the heck is he? There’s a whole list of scientists and medical professionals who have grave concerns with the state’s policies.”

Saruwatari reported that the county’s COVID-19 adjusted case rate is 9.1 per 100,000 residents. Without the state’s adjustment – because of the county not meeting the statewide median of PCR swab tests – the rate was adjusted upward from 8.4. The positivity rate is much lower, however, at 5.2 per 100,000.

“More Riverside County residents are getting tested for the virus at approximately 195 people a day per 100,00 residents, up from 139 in early September,” a county news release stated. “The statewide testing median is 239 people a day per 100,000 residents.”

“We do appreciate the tremendous effort of businesses in increasing testing, but it’s clear we’re not going to be able to test out of this,” Kaiser told County Supervisors.

Commenting on the Menifee 24/7 Facebook page, owner Rhonda Copp of Blitzer’s Premium Frozen Yogurt in Menifee echoed the sentiments of Ibrahim.

“It's tough!” Copp wrote. “As a business owner and Menifee resident who is trying to support the local businesses, I think it's time to take a stand before we lose more businesses. We just can't keep doing this!”

As Spiegel said during the Board of Supervisors meeting, “I question whether the governor has beyond the limits.  We’re going to be putting a nail in the coffin for a lot of businesses.”

The damage is being felt by more than traditional brick and mortar businesses. There is a dangerous trickle-down effect as well. Jonathan Daniel owns a local marketing business that supports athletic centers, which are once again closed for indoor services.

“We were focused in the gym industry,” Daniel said. “It was 80 percent of our client base and now that they are closed, they can't spend money with us.

“We are a small company started in 2008 that just got profitable when this happened. I furloughed everyone [four employees] in April and brought them back in July. Now I'll be letting them go again as we are out of PPP money and were just breaking even before this move back to purple.”

Gina Gonzalez, economic development director for the City of Menifee, said that because of the power the state holds over individual counties and cities, it is more important than ever for residents to continue supporting local businesses.

“The news of sliding back to the State of California’s purple tier is difficult for our Menifee businesses to swallow, having just reopened with modifications less than 30 days ago,” Gonzalez wrote in an email to Menifee 24/7. “It is important that we continue to thank our Menifee residents and visitors for supporting our businesses in multiple ways. Your generous support is what is allowing our businesses to survive through the rapidly changing guidelines.

“The outpouring of support—through take-out, third party food services, online shopping, local gift cards, and sharing positive stories experienced with our Menifee businesses—continues to raise awareness of the impacts COVID-19 has had on our businesses in Menifee. If you have or know of a business in Menifee that is in distress, you are encouraged to reach out to the City or Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce to learn more about the resources that are available to you.”

City manager Armando Villa expressed frustration as well.

“It is very unfortunate that our Riverside County COVID-19 rates are increasing and we are now transitioning back into the state’s purple tier for reopening,” Villa said. “It is our goal as a City to work with the County of Riverside and State of California to support our community and businesses and reduce our COVID-19 numbers so we can reopen safely."

Today’s announcement stated that businesses have 72 hours to adjust to the new tier requirements. Riverside County must stay in the purple tier for a minimum of three weeks. In addition, Kaiser said, schools that have not yet opened for in-person instruction – including all local public school districts – must remain closed. Waivers will be accepted for K-6 schools seeking to reopen, but the increased numbers could make an approval of such waivers difficult.

“Enough is enough,” Spiegel said after hearing Saruwatari’s report. “I want your team to come back with something we can do about this. My anger is not directed at you, but the responsibility falls on you to find us an option. This is unacceptable.”