STOCKTON — Some business owners in Stockton have said they won’t comply with a state directive that they shut down again or stop offering certain services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dino Ballin, of Pomp Salon, Stockton, said that the science doesn’t support letting establishments such as shopping malls and home improvement stores remain open and packed with customers while salons and restaurants are forced to shut down.
Critics have pointed out that throughout the pandemic large retailers such as Target and Safeway are allowed to stay open with few restrictions while small mom-and-pop shops must close, despite their smaller customer capacity.
“I’m not going to close, so I would be arrested or my license actually would be taken and it’d be a court fight,” Ballin said of keeping his three salons open. “But I’m absolutely, no way, a hundred percent, not going to close.” …
Cassie Dickman 