Homeless crisis forces small business owner in California to relocate, she says
As the homeless crisis continues to be a problem in California, one small business owner took her complaints directly to Gov. Gavin Newsom in a Twitter video.
Elizabeth Novak, who owns a hair salon in downtown Sacramento, posted a video on the social media site Friday describing how difficult it has been to run her own business during the homeless crisis and asking him what he was going to do to help.
On Monday, Novak told Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt that she was going to have to relocate her business because of how bad the situation has become.
“A lot of people asked why go directly to the governor, why take it to that level and I think it’s an SOS for all small business owners. And not just business owners, but employees in the downtown area,” Novak told Fox & Friends.
“When I come into work I’m never sure what I’m going to walk into,” she explained. “I’ve been broken into, I’ve had my glass broken. I clean up human excrement off of my doorstep every week, cups of urine, things like that.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
“And I do have compassion for these people, but you know, they’re sleeping in front of your door and they’re leaving trash and they’re turning over garbage cans and I can’t do that anymore,” she added.
Novak said that part of the problem is that law enforcement officers aren’t allowed to arrest people who are homeless, which she claims is a law Newsom changed.
Though Novak’s Twitter account is now private, she began her video by addressing the governor.
“This video is for Gavin Newsom,” Novak began in the video. “I’ve had a business in downtown Sacramento for 15 years.”
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“I just want to tell you what happens when I get to work,” she said, in part. “I have to clean up the poop and the pee off of my doorstep. I have to politely ask the people who I care for -- I care for these people that are homeless -- to move their tents.”
She added: “So I want to know what you’re going to do for us.”