Central OC Times

As the owner of Zama Tea and Kombucha Inc., Leanne Herrera has served 15,000 customers at her coffee shop in Tustin, California, for the betterment of the community and with no political affiliation for six years. 

“I have my own political beliefs and I will be voting, but that's never been a topic of conversation, even with my employees or customers,” Herrera told Central OC Times. “We never got into that conversation because it just isn't part of the business.”

But on or about Oct. 11, she found herself at the forefront of the election debate when a political mailing criticizing Republican Sen. John Moorlach featured her 434 El Camino Real storefront in the background without her permission. The advertisement was paid for by a coalition of teachers, health care providers, faculty members, school employees that are funded by the California Teachers Association, the California Labor Federation and SEIU California State Council, according to the flyer’s fine print.

“I guess there are no rules and that the Democrats have lost any kind of sense of fairness and ethics,” Herrera said in an interview. “It was a huge mailer so that's very unethical and unfair. They do the opposite of what they preach. They say they want businesses to survive and they want to help small businesses and then they use small businesses to make points for themselves and hurt other people in the process.”

As a result of seeing the Zama Tea and Kombucha cafe in the political promotional flyer, Herrera says customers presumed she was against Moorlach and reacted by posting negatively on Facebook and emailing her.

“I didn’t receive any threats but online sales are down 90%,” she said. “I'm getting five orders a week now where I was getting 30 orders a week before this mailing happened.”

In reaction to the promotional flyer, Herrera, who is moving to Colorado, wrote a letter on Oct. 27 to which she has yet to receive a response.

“You had no right to use my business for your campaign,” she wrote. “You have hurt me and it's wrong. I did not leave my location because of COVID-19 or because of President Trump. I am leaving to move to be closer to my children. You and your party have zero ethics and integrity. I never gave you permission to take a picture, even if it was on social media, and add content to it. You are so wrong to do it. My business has suffered because of this mailer that so many people received in my business community. 

"You are cruel to take a small business for your political gain. COVID has been difficult to maneuver but I successfully did and sold my business for a very good price. You have no right to insinuate differently. I am 63 and have worked over 10 years to build my business and with one stupid statement you are taking it away.”