Latest / Vegas Revealed / Las Vegas Mayor Wants to Open for Business | Ep. 14

Transcript

Las Vegas Mayor Wants to Open for Business | Ep. 14 · Vegas Revealed

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome everyone to Vegas Revealed episode 14.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_04: The virtual parties continue as the shutdown rolls on.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_04: Plus, a major pop star helps in the recovery of a Las Vegas nurse.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: And speaking of Las Vegas, Las Vegas' mayor makes a pretty bold statement this week at the city council meeting.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Hear what she has to say and why it has people talking coming up.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: It is time for Vegas Revealed.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: I know you can't really go to Vegas, baby, but we're here and we're gonna let you know what's going on.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Dana Roselli.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm Sean McAllister.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_04: I know the song still makes you want to come here, though, doesn't it?
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: It does.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: We're just getting ready for we're getting ready for it, you know?
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone will be back eventually.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's right.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_04: You know, there are a lot of uh differing opinions still.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_04: We've talked about this over the past couple weeks, but uh there's a lot of differing opinions about how and when Las Vegas is going to open up and start welcoming people back again.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_04: It we know that it's something that needs to happen eventually, but the timeline is kind of being debated right now, big time.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Our governor had said, you know, May 1st.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's where we sit right now.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: He hasn't made a decision just yet if he's gonna extend beyond that.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: He just had a news conference uh this week and said he's gonna, you know, of course, take the advice of medical experts and look at the numbers and still decide.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, this podcast, um, we were bored, so that could possibly change sometime during this podcast as far as you know, it's sitting there for the rest of the week.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: But what we know right now is that we are closed until May 1st.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: However, our mayor, Carolyn Goodman, uh, she actually uh had was at the city council meeting this week.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: They held one and you know, didn't have a big audience or anything, but you know, it was online and on YouTube and people were watching it.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And and she made some pretty bold statements saying that Las Vegas needs to open.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: This shutdown has become one of total insanity, in my opinion, for there is no backup of data as to why we are shut down from the start.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: No plan in place how to move through the shutdown or how even to come out of it.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: According to experts with whom I have spoken, this virus is not going away.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's not going to be going away this month, next month, and much like the flu and other viruses that have impacted populations around the world, this virus or a derivative thereof will be part of what we work through going forward.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: We are a state, and I give this to you, Madam Clerk, and if you can hold it up so the camera can pick it up.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: We are a state of 3.2 million people, and we'll soon find out how that changes as we go through our census shortly.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Two point three of us live down here in southern Nevada.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: Tragically, we have already lost to this virus 128 individuals in Nevada, many with complications attributed in part to COVID nineteen.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: Let me assure you that our sympathies and condolences to those who've lost friends and loved ones.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: But let me tell you, with a population of 3.2 million living in Nevada, those whom we've lost represent less than a half of one percent of our population, which has caused us to shut down the entire state and everything that makes Nevada unique.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: Of the estimated 900,000 who have lost their jobs, 300,000 have already filed for unemployment.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: 300,000 have filed for unemployment.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: These are families that no longer have the ability to buy food for their children and other loved ones, pay their bills, pay their rent, pay their mortgage, pay their car payment, or enjoy the life that they had prior to this shutdown.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: Parents have no income to feed their children and just meet basic costs.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: Small businesses and those on week-to-week paychecks have been forced to close.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Entire savings that were invested in these small businesses are being lost or have already been lost.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: Hotels and restaurants, our entire tourism and convention industry business has been shut down.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: It makes no sense.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: From my perspective, we must open our city.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: We must open southern Nevada, and we must open the State of Nevada.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: We cannot live going forward with the medical and health industry telling us that this virus is going to be around longer than a month or two, maybe even a year.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: We cannot keep our heads in the sand and think it's going to go away.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: We're adults with brains who can know what to do to wash our hands, to take all precautions not to spread this disease.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: But we cannot put our heads in the sand and think it's going to go away.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: From my perspective, I am asking.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: Open the city, open Clark County, open the state for heaven's sake, for being closed, is killing us already, and killing Las Vegas, our industry, our convention and tourism business that we have all worked so hard to build.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: The longer we wait to do this, the more impossible it will become to recover and become and return to the home we all know and love.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: And we are here sitting in front of you loving this community, appreciating being your representative and looking forward as soon as possible.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: Remember the data.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: The data is less than one half of one percent tragically have been lost.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: And the entire 3.2 million people have been brought to their knees.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: So we will move on to public comment, and I am not taking the privilege of that other than speaking for myself as your mayor in Las Vegas, elected by the totality citywide and all wards.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: So our mayor, she had indicated that she wasn't happy about the complete shutdown for a while now, but you know, she spoke to the city in this address and said, You elected me, and this is what I think.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, a lot of people here in Las Vegas taking to social media and having conversations about it, Sean.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I guess some seem surprised and think it's not a great idea to just open up the city while we still have this, you know, potential virus going on.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_04: Well, here's the thing I don't think that there is anybody who disagrees with the fact that they want Las Vegas to be opened back up again.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_04: But there's a difference between what you want and maybe what you need.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that we're still in that gray area right now because, yeah, we want the city to be up and running.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_04: We all want to be getting paychecks again.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_04: We want to go to work, we want to have conventions and tourism back to where it was before coronavirus shut everything down in mid-March.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_04: But is that what we really need to do for the health and safety of uh not only the people who live here, but for our workers on the strip and for the visitors who come to Las Vegas?
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_04: And that's what the governor is saying.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_04: He's like, yeah, we need to slowly reopen, have this be a very gradual process.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_04: And and uh the governor really hasn't given a timeline on when this, you know, phased opening that the president and the administration uh has laid out.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_04: He's not Governor Sisilac has not really given any timeline as to when that will all roll out here in Nevada.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, listen, it's a really interesting topic for conversation because when you do look at both sides and what they're saying on social media, you know, some people are saying, Yeah, I agree, let's let's open up, you know, this is we we're killing the economy.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: People need to go to work, they need to feed their kids.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: We're responsible adults, we can wash our hands, we can do this, we can do that.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think a majority I would say seem to be, you know, with like let's just do what we're doing until it's safe enough, you know, because our numbers may not be the highest around the country.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: However, is it because we did the right thing?
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: We stopped the spread, you know, and we're doing the right thing, let's keep it that way.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and really until there is uh I mean the the adequate amount of of testing available, which there's not in the state yet, uh that's what the governor just came out and and talked about.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_04: Until there is a lot of testing available and also a vaccine, uh you know, I don't see things really opening up and being uh business as usual as we knew it before.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: No, and it's it's just so interesting how you just wonder and and what you predict and what you think, you know, how much things are gonna change, and um everyone's just talking about, you know, we're we're realizing maybe we don't need as many things that we have.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Life can be a little bit simpler, and and that is a worry for Las Vegas because we're glitz, glamour, and we go and we go big, right?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_04: You know, but I think after this time, people really are going to want the kind of entertainment that Las Vegas can provide, be it gambling, be it uh the stage shows, you know, be it the just the escape of being in, you know, this alternate reality of Las Vegas.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_04: I think people will crave that if they can afford it.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it's interesting.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: The president, you know, unveiled that phase three, you know, how opening up America again, the three phases, and you know, some of the things in there, you know, keeping social distance, but you know, opening things like bars and schools and some of them you look at and you go, well, like the one was like the bars.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do you social distance at a bar?
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: Is it even possible really, right?
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: If you're going there to mingle with people.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: So there are some things that um we're just uh we're almost gonna have to relearn and ease into.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I've been uh, you know, we've had to go out and and work as you know, part of our uh company in sightful media.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_04: We go and cover events and cover happenings on behalf of of other companies.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_04: And we've been going out and doing some uh shoots at night, some video shoots, and um I've been very conscious about what I touch and where I sit or don't sit.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_04: And I've you know opted to be very conscious about that and not really touch anything.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_04: And we've been uh doing a lot of these shoots outside, which you know helps.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_04: You don't really have to touch a lot of stuff except your feet touching the pavement when you walk, but um you know, you do.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_04: It is a different mindset.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, people keep asking my opinion, like, what do you think?
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Should we open?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Should we not open?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: When do you think we'll open?
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know, is this necessary?
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: And like I guess I just really feel this time that like I don't know if I have an opinion.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: I just feel like tell me what to do.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the ex experts, the leaders in our city and our state, and our county, and the health experts.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like they're seeing all the information that we're not seeing, they're seeing the numbers, they're sitting in meetings, they're going over things.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I almost just feel in this one like I I'm sitting out in a p opinion.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: I just tell me when it's safe that you feel it is, and when you feel it's the safest, then we'll give it a go.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and and really that's what we need to do is trust the people who have the information and you know who are put in charge who who we've elected to be the decision makers for us.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_04: So I I think things do need to stay in their hands and move forward at a pace that uh the information tells us that that it should.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_04: Another thing that we've seen are a lot of inspiring recovery stories in this uh coronavirus pandemic.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_04: And one of those uh happened here in Las Vegas for a nurse who contracted COVID-19 while treating patients.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_04: And I spoke with Cindy Lundenberg, who is the marketing director of Southern Hills Hospital here in Las Vegas, and she told me about this inspiring story of the nurse and the role that pop star Pink played in her recovery.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: There was a nurse at Mountain View.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: Her name is Bessie.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_03: She contracted COVID-19 caring for a patient.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: She's now being treated at my hospital.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_03: So again, I was talking about those end-of-life circumstances where you do get um a loved one.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: That way they can say goodbye.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_03: So Bessie's son had mentioned that she she Bessie was not looking good.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um, he mentioned that she loves pink, and so my CEO comes to me and is like, Do you have a speaker?
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: And we just put pink on repeat for her.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: I was literally giving up.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: I was literally like, I'm done, I can't do this anymore.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'm too tired, I'm too tired.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: But yes, the music, the touches, the it's just what kept me.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I'm still here.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_03: Even if Pink just knew that her music played a role in a life and death situation, I just would even like her to be aware of that.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: What a great story! You know what, Sean, she deserves a virtual Chippendales party.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, you know, maybe that can be our recovery gift to Bessie.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's right, because the Chippendales are literally doing this, they're having these virtual parties, okay?
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: You can book a party and you can do it online, and you can have like this whole Chip Chippendales, you know, uh special tailored to you virtual experience.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's really cool.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: And something that I saw was they were actually doing free ones for healthcare workers and people working on the front lines for a limited time.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I think we might need to put our contacts into use here and see if that's something that Bessie and her friends might want to take part in.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_04: I love that.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a great idea.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, so many people um online that have done this already are saying, you know, it was it was a great time, it was super memorable.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know, people are at home, they aren't able to have their bachelorette parties, or they just need their spirits lifted just for the heck of it.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, for these healthcare workers and stuff, it's a little bit of a a treat and a fun thing that that they can do just to, you know, have some fun and change it up.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, and you know what?
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_04: It's another way that our Las Vegas entertainers are still keeping people entertained uh throughout this entire situation, and another way that people are are keeping busy and staying occupied.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_04: We've talked about this before on Vegas Revealed.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_04: Remember, Dana, when I talked about those slot machine apps that can actually earn you points in real rewards here in Las Vegas.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and you said like you've you've actually gotten a free room for from it before.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_04: So uh two of these uh apps are My Vegas slots and pop slots.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_04: So if you look up either of those apps, you'll be able to download and play the games.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_04: Well, Play Studios is the company that's behind these apps, they're located here in Las Vegas.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and they actually sent us a little care package to keep us occupied during the state.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I thought it was so nice.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was like they're like you have a package downstairs, and it was a great like journal and a pen and a tumblr, and I thought it was um so nice of them, and which we were like, wait, and then I was even looking on their page and it was saying that they were actually hiring some positions in Las Vegas too.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: So some people hit me up and went, Hey, are they hiring?
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: I need a job.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: So that's great.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_04: I know I had some of those uh same inquiries about uh those positions.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, Play Studios is you know, thank you very much for sending the uh care packages over to uh Dana and me, and also uh for keeping us entertained on my Vegas slots and pop slots.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_04: So I can tell you I have been earning lots and lots of points that I'm gonna be cashing in for rewards once uh Vegas resorts open back up again.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I bet.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: And they have uh what a hashtag that's going around.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: What is it?
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: In is the new out.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: Am I saying that right?
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, in is the new out.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_04: So you know they're they're letting you know that you can still have fun even though we're staying inside.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: Well, listen, everyone's um, you know, doing what they're supposed to do here in Las Vegas for the most part.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: I've seen a lot of people enjoying our parks and taking some good hikes and um, you know, a lot of really great big hearts uh in town.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we've been working on a project where um a local company is delivering, you know, meals to the nighttime, the night shift healthcare workers at every hospital across the valley.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: So it's things like that that just continue.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_04: So if you are here in Las Vegas, keep doing what you've been doing.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_04: If you're listening to us from uh out somewhere else in the United States or even in another country, we look forward to welcoming you back here to Las Vegas just as soon as we can.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's for sure.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: And listen, I know our audio has been a little on and off today, so thanks for bearing with us.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we're doing Skype.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: We look forward to getting back to our studio, which is in the Venetian, so we're also waiting to hear when the resorts will open and when it will be safe enough to go back.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: So we look forward to returning to our studio and Sean and I being in the same room as well.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_04: Finally, one day it will happen, Dana.
• 19:38
  unknown: Let's go.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: All right, listen.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks everyone for listening.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be back next week.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: Have a great day.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_04: Bye bye.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go.