LOS ANGELES—Adult entertainment industry businesses impacted by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires are excluded from applying for emergency grants through a $1 million relief program that was launched by the charity Steadfast LA and endowed by the Banc of California wildfire recovery fund in early August, Pasadena Now reports.
The campaign is to provide grants to area businesses impacted by the fire, totaling up to $50,000 in awarded funds. A wide range of businesses qualify for the program, which is granted through nonprofit community lender LiftFund. Applicants must hold business checking accounts for a business in Palisades, Malibu or Altadena.
Adult entertainment businesses, however, are explicitly named as ineligible for the program, as are liquor stores, smoke and vape shops, and lending organizations.
“These businesses aren’t faceless storefronts," said Rick Caruso, founder and chairman of Steadfast LA, in a statement. "They are the fabric of the community. They are made up of people: owners, employees, and loyal customers. They deserve an advocate to help address the challenges they’re facing through no fault of their own."
Caruso's sentiments don't extend to adult entertainment businesses, it appears, per the standards laid out by Steadfast LA.
