Caliva

Caliva laid off 54 employees on 2023-08-08.

In late March 2020, the California-based healthcare cannabis startup Caliva laid off 20 corporate employees, a move attributed to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The layoffs, which represented an unspecified portion of the company's workforce, primarily affected the retail-management division and included senior executive Elizabeth Cooksey. Despite cannabis being deemed essential in California, the company cited a dramatic drop in retail traffic due to shelter-in-place orders and social distancing measures as the reason for the cuts. This event occurred as the industry faced significant headwinds, with Caliva adjusting its strategy by ending a delivery partnership and focusing on direct operations.