Fines for businesses that hang "Open for Business" banners!

In Red State, Kira Davis reports,

Here is a list of things you can currently do in the city of Los Angeles with impunity:

defy pandemic stay-at-home orders to protest in crowded streets by the tens of thousands
throw Molotov cocktails at police
break the windows of both private and public property
burn down neighborhood businesses
tear down monuments on public property
drag innocent commuters from their cars, beat them mercilessly, and destroy their vehicles
poop in public streets
openly use illegal drugs on public streets
steal cars or bicycles
erect tent cities on private property
steal up to $950 of merchandise per day without fear of prosecution…under state law
It’s a great time to be a criminal in the City of Angels, but if you’re a business owner, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti will find you and make sure you are fined and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for…

Are you ready for this?

Hanging a “We are open” sign in front of your business.

NBC4 in Los Angeles is reporting that an increasing number of businesses have received hefty citations and fines from the City of Los Angeles for supposedly violating permit laws by hanging banners on their businesses to help customers see that they are open through the pandemic.

Above the entrance of the Crave Cafe in Studio City–where business is down 70% during the pandemic–the owner last month hung a banner that says “OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT AND DELIVERY.”

“It really was important because it helped us in communicating to the community that we were still open, and many of them don’t know that,” said Rana Shalhoub, Crave Cafe’s owner.

But Shalhoub found a notice in her mail this week from LA’s Department of Building and Safety, ordering her to take down the banner and fining her $356. She promptly removed the banner.

“We’re struggling to survive. I do think the city should have at least given us a warning to take down the sign, prior to fining us,” Rana Shalhoub told NBC4.

Several neighboring businesses on Ventura Boulevard also got $356 fines for hanging banners saying they’re still open, including the Chop Shop salad restaurant, Fantastic Sam’s barbershop, Trader Joe’s and the Hot Chicken and Waffle Bar.