Carwash Business Dries Up in Wet Year

There are no sweeter words to Louie Luna than these, from the National Weather Service on Thursday: “No rain for the next five days.”

In his 18 years at the Auto Scrubber Car Wash in Ventura, Luna says he has never weathered as bad a May as this one.

And that’s not all. “It’s not only been the worst May for business, it’s been the worst year too,” Luna said.

He is referring to the 41.54 inches of water that gray skies have loosed on Ventura and his carwash throughout this long and record-setting rainy season.

“Business is down 50, maybe 70% from last year,” Luna said. “All I hear is ‘El Nino, El Nino.’ I’m tired of the guy.”

At the other end of Ventura County, the 36.28 inches of precipitation that has landed on the Simi Valley Car Wash and its environs “has meant we’ve been either closed or might as well be,” said manager Randy Chung. His words were a repetition of Luna’s: “This is the worst May ever, and the worst year too.”

For a business that is usually open seven days a week, “This month alone we’ve been closed six or seven days already,” Chung said.

On a typical sunny May day, he said, hundreds of cars go through the Simi Valley Car Wash. “Lately, we’re down to 25% of that--and we’re just starting to climb back.”

Pat Rooney at Rooney’s El Roblar Car Wash near Ojai said the difference between this and past years is that “if they predict the weather is going to clear up, people will get their cars washed. But this year, there’s always been rain in the forecast.”

Until now. Ventura County has seen some sunny days lately, but Luna said it takes a string of them before people believe a just-washed car will last more than a day.

“People get gunshy,” he said. “Even if it’s not raining, they won’t have their cars washed on an ugly day or June gloomy day. You need several days of sunshine before they’ll come out.”

As with agricultural workers and house painters, carwash employees--most of them paid hourly--have lost wages they can’t retrieve.

In Thousand Oaks, which has soaked up 32.67 inches of rain this season, “We haven’t laid anyone off, but our people aren’t getting as much work as they need,” said Thousand Oaks Hand Wash cashier Colleen Terry. “The owner said this has has been the worst year he’s seen in 20 years.”

Out of a two-week period, Terry said, “You might work for three or four days. That’s how it’s been the last five months. It’s just now starting to get better.”

It had better get better. Randy Chung’s employees have been clocking only about half their usual hours. Everyone has had to find a second job.

The only businesses that do better when it’s raining are restaurants and the California Highway Patrol, Luna said. But he sees a light at the end of the tunnel.

So does Rooney, who is walking on the sunny side of the street, at least this week. The weather forecast: No rain in sight.