Thankful, Yet Still Disappointed

This holiday season is different than the others. Better than last year, but still disappointing. Overall, however, there is so much to be thankful for. 

My kids are back in in-person school and the stories about classes or schools being shut down have been rare in the San Fernando Valley. 

I am thankful that businesses have been able to reopen safely. While it has been inconvenient and daunting at times, businesses are back, and the jobs are back. Still, I cannot help but be disappointed that there are some who don’t want to work.  It was bound to happen. I warned the politicians that it would happen. When you pay people to not work and you pay them more than they were making before the pandemic, why would they want to work for less? Yep, unskilled workers are turning down minimum wage jobs, and the “Great Resignation” is happening with even high-salary jobs. I can’t help but shake my head in amazement.  

Speaking of amazement, I am thankful for and astounded by the resiliency of our businesses, who have adapted to burdensome and untimely regulations from the government. Take the city of West Hollywood, where businesses struggled and shut down over the previous 20 months. The city council decided that this is the best time to raise the minimum wage. In less than a month, on Jan. 1, minimum wage in West Hollywood will rise from $14 to $17.64 for hotel workers. A whopping 26 percent increase immediately. Because, why not? And that wage goes to $18.77 for all workers by 2023. But it gets even worse for the businesses in West Hollywood. The city will also require that employers provide 96, yes 96, paid hours per year for sick leave, vacation, or personal time for full-time employees. And that doesn’t even include paid holidays.

I am thankful for redistricting, the process to draw new district boundaries, but I am also thankful that the convoluted process only happens once every decade. I am thankful that the California Citizens Redistricting Commission has been taking unlimited testimony. This independent commission is filled with volunteers, many of whom have day jobs, families, and commitments. Still, they have spent upwards of 10-hour days allowing every Californian to have their voice heard about what their community is and what their districts should look like. On the flip side, I was disappointed that the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission started with the best of intentions, but limited, blocked, or ignored testimony from Angelenos about their communities. This was a commission that started with one hand tied behind their backs, as they always needed the Los Angeles City Council to approve any maps they drew. And the council did redraw about 30 percent of the districts. It is abundantly clear that an independent redistricting commission is needed in the city of Los Angeles.

I am also thankful for the little things. The way restaurants have adapted has been incredible, and the fact that the city of Los Angeles is going to allow outdoor dining permanently is fantastic. I am thankful that I get to take my kids to Universal Studios and Disneyland – I can’t tell you how much we all missed that. I am thankful that events are coming back, and I can see old friends and colleagues over cocktail hour, rather than over Zoom. 

I am thankful that I get to go holiday shopping in a mall this year. While I appreciate Amazon, there is nothing like walking through the Westfield Fashion Square during the holidays. 

Overall, though, I am thankful that there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, and I expect things to only get better from here.

Stuart Waldman is president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, a business advocacy organization based in Van Nuys that represents employers in the San Fernando Valley at the local, state, and federal levels of government.