Westside merchants see drop in business

Luz Bihiche has a lot more time to listen to music these days.

Sales at her Westside music store Samara Musical have dropped off significantly in recent weeks, and it’s not because she can’t keep enough copies of Shakira’s new album in stock.

“People are scared to come out,” she said. “Everybody is hiding in their homes.”

A recent immigration proposal approved by the Costa Mesa City Council has frightened Latino residents living on Costa Mesa’s Westside and has kept locals from patronizing the dozens of businesses serving the area, local merchants said.

The proposal, introduced by Mayor Alan Mansoor, would allow Costa Mesa police to check the immigration status of criminal suspects. Bihiche said many living on the Westside have misinterpreted the proposal to mean that police will be conducting immigration checks on people they encounter on the street and rounding up others for mass deportations.

“They think the police are stopping everyone and sending them back to Mexico,” Bihiche said.

The result is that many are avoiding popular business corridors such as 19th Street and 17th Street, and business owners said they’re struggling to stay open.

“I’ve worked with Mexican people all my life and have not seen anything like this,” Bihiche said.

Maria Saaveri said she’s also seen a drop in business at El Torro Bravo, which operates a small market and popular lunch stop on 19th Street. Police often park in front of the shopping center housing El Torro Bravo, and many customers mistakenly think the police are looking for illegal immigrants, Saaveri said. In the last month, sales at the market have dropped as much as 60%, and Saaveri is afraid the store’s owner will have to lay someone off in the near future.

“I think the police are just watching the homeless, but a lot of people think the police are targeting Latino businesses,” she said.

It appears that the immigration proposal has had the strongest effect on retail businesses, although service-oriented business owners have said they’ve also noticed a change.

“Things have been slow,” said Viviana Plazola of Proline Insurance Services on 19th Street. “We’re kind of surprised because this is tax season and a lot of people usually get their refunds and spend it on insurance.”

The immigration proposal has been a popular topic of conversation at the small insurance brokerage, Plazola said.

“A lot of people I’ve talked to have stopped driving or using their vehicles because they’re afraid of getting pulled over and going to jail,” she said.

Not everyone has seen a drop. Amit Patel of Cash Plus, a check cashing and wire transfer agency, said his new business has been doing just fine.

“People will always need check cashing. I don’t think this will affect my business,” he said.