Word that Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering implementing a stricter stay-at-home-order amid skyrocketing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations has business leaders very nervous at the height of the holiday shopping season.
Notes obtained by KQED of a Dec. 1 phone call between representatives of the Newsom administration and state business leaders reflect uncertainty about how specific industries will be affected and how hard the state is going to crack down.
"We obviously had to learn that there will have to be an amplified stay at home order for California businesses. And that's grim news, especially as we head into the holiday season," said John Kabateck, the California director of the National Federation of Independent Business, who was on the call.