Struggling businesses are now getting fined if they don't have a permit for placing an open sign outside their business.
Numerous places are currently struggling and getting stuck with penalties from the city of L.A. In Studio City, a restaurant called Crave Cafe placed a banner outside that said "Open for Take-Out and Delivery." The owner, Rana Shalhoub got a letter in the mail that the LA Department of Building and Safety was ordering her to take it down and fined her $356.00.
After that she took the banner down but was upset that there was no warning about being fined. The Department of Building and Safety said that banners require permits and any business who doesn't have a permit would be fined. Shalboub's message to the city was:
"We are all in this together and in a pandemic we need to be more compassionate. And to target small business owners and even large business owners during something like this is very unfair."
What are your thoughts on this?