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Right, people put effort into figuring out how to keep film going. What a lot of us are asking is why don't we do something analogous for small businesses? The

Right, people put effort into figuring out how to keep film going. What a lot of us are asking is why don't we do something analogous for small businesses? There does not seem to be political will to figure out how to get them through this as well. At the very least it shows a profound lack of imagination.

gamblor956 6y ago
It costs a lot of money. The studios are willing to spend that money. Most small businesses aren't and probably couldn't afford to even if they did.
- hodgesrm 6y ago
  Let's stipulate that studios have money and are willing to spend it. That just raises the question why the state of California--or more generally we the citizens--are not compensating businesses that end up taking one for the team. Studios lose 0.5% off the bottom line but other businesses lose 100% or shut down fully.
  - gamblor956 6y ago
    There simply isn't any way to do what you suggest. Hollywood can do it because they exert a level of control over all participants in their business activities that no other businesses can outside of the military, and this minimizes the potential covid risks and makes the financial costs of dealing with covid feasible. To achieve the same level of risk for restaurants or other businesses would cost billions, and that's assuming that the customers would go along with the safety procedures required, but half of this country won't even wear a $1 mask when they go into a store because they think that covid is a conspiracy and they'll be damned if they agree to a minor personal inconvenience.
    - hodgesrm 6y ago
      That does not answer the question why other businesses don't receive compensation for their sacrifice. This is grossly unfair and will have long-term consequences for the economy as well as the welfare of individual citizens. That's leaving aside the question of what the actual health risks are from the businesses California is forcing to shut down. Newsom has been very evasive on that topic.
      - gamblor956 6y ago
        That raises the issue of why should businesses receive compensation for their "sacrifice"? Businesses aren't people. I fully support and understand why employees should receive assistance, but you'll need to explain the logic of why noncorporeal legal constructs should receive assistance.
jbob2000 6y ago
The film industry has participants that are willingly abiding by strict safety protocols. You couldn’t get the shopping crowds that serve small businesses to do the same.
nostrademons 6y ago
Might be a market opportunity there for someone to familiarize themselves with all the latest best practices, pitch to the local health department "I'll be accountable for ensuring that restaurants follow all these best practices, will you let them open if they can produce a certificate showing current inspections from me?", then charge restaurants to produce such a certificate (and educate them on the best practices, and ensure that they follow them). Basically it's an outsourced compliance officer. Do the same job as the person on the movie set, follow the same regulations, and the business can open. I think customers may be part of the problem, though. No business has an incentive to say "You're not following the COVID protocols, I'm going to have to ask you to leave", and businesses that have actually done that get all sorts of abuse from the general public. Movie sets have a lot more leverage over their employees: if they don't follow the rules, they lose their income.
tzs 6y ago
You could probably do something analogous for any business that satisfies these conditions: 1. The workers at the business only interact in person with other workers. Members of the general public are not present. 2. The business conducts frequent testing, which should include tests that give a rapid answer. 3. The workers agree to take steps outside of work to limit their risk, such as not going places where they can't maintain social distancing or where mask wearing is not near universal. You could probably even open that up a little, relaxing #1 to: 1'. There are only a small number of members of the general public present throughout the day, only one or two at a time. This relaxed rule would allow for things like dentists offices, barbers, salons, and similar as long as they kept the number of simultaneous customers down.

gamblor956 6y ago

It costs a lot of money. The studios are willing to spend that money. Most small businesses aren't and probably couldn't afford to even if they did.

hodgesrm 6y ago
Let's stipulate that studios have money and are willing to spend it. That just raises the question why the state of California--or more generally we the citizens--are not compensating businesses that end up taking one for the team. Studios lose 0.5% off the bottom line but other businesses lose 100% or shut down fully.
- gamblor956 6y ago
  There simply isn't any way to do what you suggest. Hollywood can do it because they exert a level of control over all participants in their business activities that no other businesses can outside of the military, and this minimizes the potential covid risks and makes the financial costs of dealing with covid feasible. To achieve the same level of risk for restaurants or other businesses would cost billions, and that's assuming that the customers would go along with the safety procedures required, but half of this country won't even wear a $1 mask when they go into a store because they think that covid is a conspiracy and they'll be damned if they agree to a minor personal inconvenience.
  - hodgesrm 6y ago
    That does not answer the question why other businesses don't receive compensation for their sacrifice. This is grossly unfair and will have long-term consequences for the economy as well as the welfare of individual citizens. That's leaving aside the question of what the actual health risks are from the businesses California is forcing to shut down. Newsom has been very evasive on that topic.
    - gamblor956 6y ago
      That raises the issue of why should businesses receive compensation for their "sacrifice"? Businesses aren't people. I fully support and understand why employees should receive assistance, but you'll need to explain the logic of why noncorporeal legal constructs should receive assistance.

jbob2000 6y ago

The film industry has participants that are willingly abiding by strict safety protocols. You couldn’t get the shopping crowds that serve small businesses to do the same.

nostrademons 6y ago

Might be a market opportunity there for someone to familiarize themselves with all the latest best practices, pitch to the local health department "I'll be accountable for ensuring that restaurants follow all these best practices, will you let them open if they can produce a certificate showing current inspections from me?", then charge restaurants to produce such a certificate (and educate them on the best practices, and ensure that they follow them). Basically it's an outsourced compliance officer. Do the same job as the person on the movie set, follow the same regulations, and the business can open. I think customers may be part of the problem, though. No business has an incentive to say "You're not following the COVID protocols, I'm going to have to ask you to leave", and businesses that have actually done that get all sorts of abuse from the general public. Movie sets have a lot more leverage over their employees: if they don't follow the rules, they lose their income.

tzs 6y ago

You could probably do something analogous for any business that satisfies these conditions: 1. The workers at the business only interact in person with other workers. Members of the general public are not present. 2. The business conducts frequent testing, which should include tests that give a rapid answer. 3. The workers agree to take steps outside of work to limit their risk, such as not going places where they can't maintain social distancing or where mask wearing is not near universal. You could probably even open that up a little, relaxing #1 to: 1'. There are only a small number of members of the general public present throughout the day, only one or two at a time. This relaxed rule would allow for things like dentists offices, barbers, salons, and similar as long as they kept the number of simultaneous customers down.