Coronavirus California

Tri-Valley salon owners unify in defiance against Alameda County health orders

Alameda County salons have never been allowed to reopen, even for outdoor services

ByLeslie Brinkley KGO logo

Saturday, August 1, 2020

East Bay salon owners join forces against Alameda Co. health orders

Hair salons in Pleasanton, Livermore and Dublin talk about trying to unify using civil disobedience to open up defying Alameda county's health orders.

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Hair salons in Pleasanton, Livermore and Dublin are talking about trying to unify using civil disobedience to open up "all at once," defying Alameda County's health orders during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Christine Palmer is making banners for a rally she will be holding outside her Pleasanton salon on August 1.

It's a desperate last resort. She wishes officials would come by and sit in her chair.

"If only we had city officials, county officials... Governor Newsom, come get your haircut and see how we're following the guidelines you gave us," said the Flaunt Hair Designs owner.

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Alameda County salons have never been allowed to reopen, even for outdoor services.

Many stylists have decided to become a rebel with a cause like Makayla Reitsma. "I've decided to come back and work to provide income, and pay my rent and put food on my table," she said. "We haven't had any official threats."

But one downtown Pleasanton salon has had issues after they defiantly reopened on June 17 along with two others.

Larry Phillips the owner of Fusion3 said, "Over the course of nearly four weeks, we gave service to 1,500 people with 17 stylists and had no reported COVID(-19) incidents. The response from the city had always been from both police and city officials that we were risking a criminal misdemeanor fine of possibly $1000 fine and six months in prison," he said.

So they caved in and closed down again. Some salon operators say their peers are "tattling" on them, calling into officials.

Clients say they are supportive.

The hope is ultimately to create a massive movement of stylists in the Tri-Valley area and even beyond to reopen in defiance in August. Their meeting will zero in on a specific date.

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