OPINION: Democrat Policies Prove Deadly to West Hollywood Businesses

The City of West Hollywood has been a Mecca for LGB Americans to visit and spend vacation time for decades. Unfortunately, the once vibrant and alive city is in a decline as businesses are going under and closing their doors. The economic and crime-tolerant conditions the California Democrats have fostered in the state could be to blame for the slow and agonizing death of the gay-borhood.

In the spirit of fairness, the pandemic obviously was the cause of the first wave of closings. I recall visiting West Hollywood at least once a year for the five years leading up to the pandemic before I moved to southern California. The city was electric, and so many were welcoming to visitors. The bars and restaurants seemed to be full every hour they were open. Then the stringent authoritarian COVID lockdowns put a strain on the businesses, and many had to fold under the pressure.

Even when most other states were reopened and getting back to normal life in 2021, Los Angeles and West Hollywood businesses were still struggling with the boot of a Democrat state government on their necks. Walking down Santa Monica Boulevard, I remember seeing lines outside of bars because they could only have 10-15 people seated outside at one time. These are places that before the pandemic were used to hundreds of people packed in at once. That was their bread and butter. Somehow by the grace of God and probably fiscal ingenuity, many of the establishments kept their doors open.

Once West Hollywood returned to business as usual, one would think the crowds would return; business would come flooding back. However, that seems not to be the case. The crowds of revelers have not completely returned to West Hollywood, and I think there are several reasons for that—all of which stem from bad-for-business Democrat policies and propaganda.

Pandemically related, the fear mongering of the media and California politicians have kept many people shuttered in their homes. Governor Gavin Newsom and LA County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer made contracting COVID sound like an immediate death sentence. Their mandates and vaccination requirements almost assuredly have deterred many from going to crowded bars and restaurants. Ferrer even threatened to bring back mask mandates less than a year ago. Young, healthy men and women in their 20s and 30s, a huge demographic of the West Hollywood patrons, have nothing to fear from COVID. While I personally am glad some of these mask-wearing Debby-downers are not amongst the more rational public, their absence is clearly being felt financially on the businesses.

Crime is another more obvious deterrent. Most famously in the West Hollywood scene, the Starbucks, which was affectionately known as “The Big Gay Starbucks,” closed its doors in July of last year after being open for 25 years. According to employees, the closing came as an order from the corporate office due to crime and violence that escalated in the neighborhood. One barista told the WeHo Times, “There is a higher crime rate in West Hollywood right now. Unfortunately, it is reflecting inside our store. There is only so much we can do. The idea of getting a security guard would only be good for eyewitness accounts. We’re having a lot of issues that seem to be escalating. There have been fights over things.”

Aside from violent crime, theft is also on the rise in West Hollywood. For quite a while, I could not go out to a bar without hearing that someone had a phone or wallet stolen. Pickpocketing has become endemic in WeHo. Last year, Sgt. Joana Warren of the LA Sheriff’s Department spoke to media about the rise of petty theft in the area. “From 2019, pre-COVID, until now, with everything reopening again, it has more than doubled,” Warren said. Neighborhood Scout, a website that catalogues crime data and statistics, reports that there are 783 crimes per square mile in West Hollywood alone, while in the entire state of California there are only 83 per square mile, and nationally the median is about 27 crimes per square mile. Comparatively speaking, the crime rate in California is high, but the crime rate in West Hollywood is atrocious.

Democrats’ COVID scare tactics and soft-on crime policies have undoubtedly kept people from  venturing out in the numbers that they once were. The lessened numbers of patrons have put an extra strain on businesses that are still trying to catch up from the pandemic shutdowns. On top of that struggle, businesses in West Hollywood have been forced to shell out more money to pay employees as Democrats passed a minimum wage increase. West Hollywood minimum wage now sits at just over $19 per hour, the highest minimum wage in the country. Businesses pass on this increase to customers in the form of raising prices. Those price hikes then cause even more customers to stay home. The cycle continues ad infinitum.

West Hollywood staples, like the Big Gay Starbucks, and tourist destinations, like former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump’s Pump, have had to close their doors thanks to the failed policies of the Democrat politicians of the city and state. And it seems every week, another once thriving and successful business is shuttering their doors. Vacant storefronts and restaurants are becoming common-place in the LGB-centric city. While it is sad to witness, a silver lining might be that other LGB residents of Los Angeles and West Hollywood will remember their frustrations at the ballot box and vote against the incumbent imbeciles that are ruining the city. It is my hope that West Hollywood’s decline may not be in vain.