Business Activists

Ventura County businesses that defied lockdown orders and formed a group to fight local governments now want to set up a branch of that group in Los Angeles County.  The Businesses Representing American Values and Enterprises, or BRAVE Coalition, formed by the owner of Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Shop in Oxnard, Matt Brimigion, is a collective of concerned citizens and business owners in the Ventura County area, including Cronies Sports Grill in Agoura Hills and the Thousand Oaks Pizza Cookery. The group began gathering in January after the Ventura County Board of Supervisors brought lawsuits against 18 businesses — four restaurants and 14 gyms — in the area for refusing to close their doors or abide by masking requirements. The suits have since been dropped, but the group continues.“We needed a voice. We needed to fight back,” Brimigion said in an interview with the Business Journal. When county restrictions were implemented last March, Brimigion briefly shut his doors, but that was to remodel. When that was finished, he chose to reopen his breakfast and lunch diner without restrictions. He did not require his staff to wear face coverings, citing a deeply held commitment to personal freedoms. Brimigion believes gathering in a restaurant such as his poses no additional risk of spreading coronavirus to diners or staff and that the government may not close his indoor business due to the pandemic.While the county tried to enforce COVID-19 related restrictions with fines and a temporary restraining order against him, Brimigion stayed open. When the county filed unfair competition lawsuits, saying Mrs. Olson’s and the other businesses that refused to close were taking advantage of their competitors that were following public health rules, Brimigion began organizing.Other restaurant and gym owners such as Barbara Paul of the Thousand Oaks Pizza Cookery and Lindsey Cohn of BSF Fitness Center, who also were sued by the county in January, quickly joined with BRAVE to discuss their options for pressing forward. “To say that it’s been a difficult year is an understatement,” Paul said. “We went from 54 employees to 16 employees overnight and our business dropped to about 20 percent in those first few days, because they had everyone so scared.” In the beginning, the Thousand Oaks Pizza Cookery did comply with COVID restrictions and closed indoor dining, but after repeated changes in the county guidelines, she decided to keep her doors open in November, despite new orders to close. A year ago, elected officials indicated the closures would only last about 15 days, she said. “The first 15 days turned into four months,” Paul said. “So it wasn’t a 15-day thing at all. It was four months in the beginning. And you know, it has been a struggle ever since.”Although the lawsuits from the county have since been dropped or settled, except that against BSF Fitness which has a contempt of court charge still pending, the group nonetheless has grown to more than 120 members, Brimigion says, with intentions to expand into Los Angeles County and build support for businesses that continue to disregard government-mandated restrictions. In a recent meeting in Long Beach, where the BRAVE Coalition intends to develop the branch, Lucas Lepejian, the manager and son of the owner of the legally embroiled Tinhorn Flats Saloon and Grill, attended to discuss the impact on their business in Burbank. His father, Baret Lepejian, later told the Business Journal that he is interested in getting involved in BRAVE. Tinhorn Flats made headlines earlier this month after Lepejian removed a side door to circumvent the padlocks that the city of Burbank had applied to prevent indoor dining. The restaurant previously began using donated generators to power the building after the city cut the electricity. More legal proceedings are in the works for Tinhorn Flats. As of now, like Tinhorn Flats, Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Shop is operating without valid business licenses because they were revoked by the county. Since indoor dining bans have begun lifting, Brimigion says his licenses, and the licenses of other impacted businesses, should be returned.  “Well, the next step is making sure that the health permits and similar permits are returned and business is open,” Rhonda Baldwin-Kennedy, Brimigion’s lawyer, said in an interview. Baldwin-Kennedy has been providing legal services largely for free for the BRAVE coalition, representing six impacted businesses against the county. In addition to pursuing the reinstatement of licenses, the coalition has several goals. It intends to begin a campaign aimed at allowing students back to school without restrictions and the group wants to help businesses fight legal battles and reopen. Toward that end, it has raised $21,000 – $10,000 of which came from a single, unnamed donor. Also, the group has initiated recall efforts against the current Ventura County Board of Supervisors. “Every one of our public servants, the board of supervisors, public health director, the sheriff, they’ve all taken an oath. An oath to uphold the rule of law and the Constitution, which none of them are doing,” Paul said. “Therefore, we’re asking them to step down from their positions.”The board of supervisors did not respond to requests for comment for this story. In her most recent statement on behalf of the board, Chair Linda Parks said: “The lawsuits were never meant to be punitive but rather to gain compliance with public health orders… It’s crucial that all businesses follow the state issued guidance so that we can all continue to move forward. We want to make sure we all work together to protect lives and to continue reopening our county.”The BRAVE coalition says it plans to keep fighting against what many members see as politically motivated closures and for the rights of business owners to continue unrestricted indoor operations.