Tanya’s Story

Tanya Martinez, Event Planner, El Dorado Banquet Hall, Las Vegas, NV

I work as an event planner for my mother’s small business, a banquet hall that specializes in weddings and quinceañera parties. Our business relies on gathering people together, which we have not been able to do since March. 

As a laid-off worker, I applied for unemployment insurance. It took a month and a half to start receiving benefits, and it was spotty, sometimes getting the additional $600, sometimes not. This story is common with Nevada UI and PUA filers. 

There is no return for our business in sight, but bills are due everywhere. Rent still needs to be paid, and landlords are no longer understanding. 

We applied for the PPP program and did not receive anything. It was infuriating to see larger businesses take the loans intended for small businesses. Our industry will be the last to recover and our family has our entire savings in this business. Not only are we at risk of losing our businesses, but the 50 families we employ and support and at risk as well from DJs to caterers to choreographers who no longer have events at our business to rely on. 

We need Congress to act to extend the pandemic unemployment insurance and protect small businesses, and address the racial disparities in relief programs.