Letter: Don’t file complaints against our local businesses struggling to survive

Posted: 5:45 am, January 22, 2021 by Letter To The Editor

To the editor,

A note of concern to the complaint filers

–I admit it, I’m old. And as much as I don’t like it, I pretty much stay home to stay safe. I have not patronized a restaurant in-person since this all started. I buy gift cards and do take-out or delivery, but do not go out to sit and eat in crowds.

The city has bent over backward to help the restaurants stay afloat. Practically every dime of our CARES ACT money has been spent on our restaurants and you can bet that the new round of that aid money will go in that same direction.

The city built all of those in-street dining spaces for their use and at great expense to us all. The city has waived fees and taxes. The city has taken the position of supporting the governor’s directives of no indoor dining but has stated that they will not police or enforce those directives.

The city made it clear, that if businesses on their own, defied the governor’s directives under the current tier, they were subjecting themselves to the fire and fury of the state, the county health department, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and so on. And so it begins.

If this city, this entire community has gone above and beyond to help our businesses survive, I’m not sure why anyone would file a complaint on an establishment, unless it was out of fear. But regardless of the reason, it’s a senseless and cowardly act.

This is your town. These are your friends and neighbors who own these businesses and employ your friends and neighbors. What possible good does it do to put someone out of business because you’re afraid?

Stay home. Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Stay away from crowds. Order-in your groceries and everything else you can to keep yourself at home and safe. If you think the spread continues because a restaurant is open and serves food and drink indoors as opposed to outdoors, you’re wrong.

If you’re a rule follower and you do everything the government tells you, then you’re probably not an entrepreneur or an independent business owner who risks everything, every day for their business and the people they employ.

Do you understand that everything this city has done to help our businesses survive can be for not if we lose too many due to the governor’s constraints or public complaints? Is that your goal? Boarded up buildings, more loss of jobs, more neighbors who are living on the edge of financial disaster? In ten months, most of us have figured out how to live with this pandemic. We help our friends and neighbors and we pray a lot.

So I implore those of you who act out of fear; rather than making survival more difficult for others by filing a complaint, stay home, keep yourself safe and let the Lord do the rest.

Jan Albin
Paso Robles

Editor’s note: Letters to the editor are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paso Robles Daily News or its staff. We welcome letters from local residents regarding relevant local topics. To submit one, click here.

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