Barbers and hairstylists protest potential changes to licensing requirements

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- More than 150 barbers, hairstylists and cosmetologists protested in downtown Riverside over the potential for massive changes that could be made to state licensing requirements.

The group of protesters organized a rally in front of the offices of state Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, urging him to not support Senate Bill 803.

As currently worded, the bill would eliminate the term "cutting the hair" as part of the job description for barbers requiring a license. Protestors said this would open the door to barbers and hair stylists not needing a license to cut, style and shampoo hair.

"Technically you'd still need a license to do shaving, or if you're going to do perms," said Seth Caplan, CEO at the CRU institute of Cosmetology and Barbering. "But the act of arranging hair, cutting hair, all of that becomes completely unlicensed."

"My 13-year old son could go cut hair, and I don't trust my son to go brush his teeth in the morning."

Other proposed changes include reducing the time of instruction required to get a cosmetology license from 1,500 hours to 1,000 hours of training. It would also eliminate the need for a hands-on demonstration, and only require a written test.

Roth, who introduced the bill, is urging barbers and hair stylists to be patient, as this is all part of a lengthy process.

In a statement to Eyewitness News, Roth explained that this is a sunset bill for the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology that's under review every few years. He said the Legislature is trying to balance economic mobility and efforts toward professionalism with the role the state plays in mandating training hours and requiring approval for individuals requiring beautification services.

"We are in the middle of a process," Roth said. "Every few years, the Legislature reviews the classroom training and other requirements for licensees such as barbers and cosmetologists. It's been some time, for example, since we have examined if it is still appropriate to require 1,500 hours of classroom training for barbers before we license them; and, that's what we're doing here.

"It's a joint process - the Senate and the Assembly must agree to continue or change any of those requirements. In the Senate bill, for discussion purposes, we included some changes to barbering and cosmetologist licensing and training requirements, including the requirements pertaining to those who cut and style hair, when we sent the bill to the Assembly. By the time the work on the bill is completed in the Assembly, I fully expect that those who cut and style hair will continue to be licensed, with some adjustments to the classroom training requirements.

"So, to those barbers and cosmetologists out there, try to be patient with our process and stay tuned."

But just the fact that some of these issues are under consideration is upsetting to some of the professionals and cosmetology students at the protest.

Lu Garcia-Reynoso, founder of the Barber Society, said she believes it's a way for big corporations to be able to hire barbers on the cheap.

"This is really part of a national movement that's going on right now to deregulate a lot of licensed trades."