Los Angeles restaurant stops accepting cash over crime fears

By JAZZ SHAW, HotAir

Despite the claims the President made during his delusional State of the Union address this week, crime rates have not been significantly dropping yet. This is particularly true in California’s major cities, including Los Angeles. In fact, robberies are so common there that one restaurant owner this week decided that she would stop accepting cash payments, only allowing customers to use credit or debit cards instead. She wants to “remove the bait for the burglars” and keep her employees safe from armed robberies. (CBS News)

A Sherman Oaks restaurant owner decided to stop accepting cash from customers as thieves target her restaurant for cash smash-and-grabs.

Brianna Valdez, the owner of HomeState, says she doesn’t want to dissuade customers who don’t have plastic or virtual wallets from dining at her restaurant, but feels removing the bait is the only way to keep her staff safe.

“Its important for us to remain part of the community, that serves the whole community. And today we made a really difficult decision,” said Valdez. “(We want to) rebuild that confidence for the team today to make that decision, is to remove the bait for the burglers.”

The Homestate Restaurant in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles only opened last July. In the barely six months since it went into operation, the restaurant has been robbed seven times. Thieves have shown up with sledgehammers, smashing through the glass doors and attempting to crack open the business’ safe. Brianna Valdez has simply had enough.

Her decision immediately stirred up some controversy among community activists, of course. By refusing to accept cash payments, she is effectively cutting off people who either don’t qualify for a credit card or who choose not to use one. This disproportionately affects lower-income families, a fact that Valdez is aware of.

But if people in the community want to raise complaints over this, they should take them to the Mayor or the Governor. Homestate wouldn’t be forced to make a decision like this if the crime rates weren’t so high. Every time they are robbed, the owner’s insurance rates go up. And restaurants already operate on very thin margins to begin with so they can remain competitive.

Homestate was basically facing a choice between ending cash transactions or shutting down. The same decision has faced many other businesses as well. Multiple Walgreens pharmacies in California have simply shut down because they were being robbed so often. Fast food outlets have been shuttering some of their operations in the Golden State for the same reason.

If people want these businesses to remain in business and provide goods and services to the community, there is a solution available. But it doesn’t involve protesting outside of a restaurant. Put a lot more police back on the streets and stop releasing criminals as soon as they are booked. The other criminals will get the message quickly enough if there are once again significant consequences for their actions. Alternatively, California can keep following the same woke policies they’ve been adopting and simply wait until nobody is willing to open a business in the state. Let us know how that works out for you.