I am writing because I am motivated to confront the county on the issue of making live music illegal. I am looking for other people who feel the same. There is no real sound logic to denying outside musical performances if held with proper precautions. One winery that cancelled an upcoming show scheduled — sold tickets to control the numbers attending and have a great big lawn to ensure people are kept distant and enforce masking. They were informed by SLO County to not hold such events. How does this even make sense? How does this even help in the struggle with COVID-19?
Because of this musicians in SLO County have no recourse to a livelihood, businesses are impacted negatively on top of suffering through all the other restrictions, and people are being denied a form of safe, soulful and mentally healthy recreation. And really for not a good reason that I can discern. It doesn’t have to be this way.
So Charlie Puffer and I have gotten together with music and business friends to put a petition together to rectify this. It is available on Change.org under the title of Music Matters. We hope you will join us!
James Scoolis
San Luis Obispo