Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Small Business Grants, Stimulus Bill, & Vaccine Info

The Governor announced the creation of a $500 million COVID-19 Relief Grant administered by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development for small businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19 and the health and safety restrictions. Funds will be awarded to selected intermediaries with established networks of Community Development Financial Institutions to distribute relief through grants of up to $25,000 to underserved micro and small businesses throughout the state. Cultural institutions and non-profits are also eligible for these grants.

This grant program is NOT first-come, first-served. Please take the time to prepare all the necessary documentation and carefully review your application. One complete application will qualify you to be considered for both rounds, please only apply once.

First Application Window Opens

December 30, 2020 at 6:00 am

and Closes January 8, 2021 at 11:59 pm

Applicants can visit CAReliefGrant.com now to begin preparing their documents.

Eligibility

A small business or small nonprofit must satisfy the following criteria to be eligible to receive a grant award:

• Must meet the definition of an “eligible small business”. An “eligible small business” means (i) a “small business” (sole proprietor, independent contractor, 1099 work, and or registered “for-profit” business entity (e.g., C-corporation, S-corporation, limited liability company, partnership) that has yearly gross revenue of $2.5 million or less (but at least $1,000 in yearly gross revenue) based on most recently filed tax return) or (ii) a “small nonprofit” (registered 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) nonprofit entity having yearly gross revenue of $2.5 million or less (but at least $1,000 in yearly gross revenue) based on most recently filed Form 990);
• Active businesses or nonprofits operating since at least June 1, 2019;
• Businesses must currently be operating or have a clear plan to re-open once the State of California permits re-opening of the business;
• Business must be impacted by COVID-19 and the health and safety restrictions such as business interruptions or business closures incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Business must be able to provide organizing documents including 2018 or 2019 tax returns or Form 990s, copy of official filing with the California Secretary of State, if applicable, or local municipality for the business such as one of the following: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Organization, Fictitious Name of Registration or Government-Issued Business License;
• Business must be able to provide an acceptable form of government-issued photo ID; and
• Applicants with multiple business entities, franchises, locations, etc. are not eligible for multiple grants and are only allowed to apply once using their eligible small business with the highest revenue

Funds May be Used For

Eligible costs are only those costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the health and safety restrictions such as business interruptions or business closures incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following are the eligible uses of grant funds:

• All employee expenses including payroll costs, health care benefits, paid sick, medical, or family leave, and insurance premiums;
• Working capital, overhead (including rent, utilities, mortgage principal and interest payments (excluding mortgage prepayments), debt payments (principal and interest) incurred before March 1, 2020;
• Costs associated with re-opening business operations after being fully or partially closed due to state-mandated COVID-19 health and safety restrictions and business closures;
• Costs associated with complying with COVID-19 federal, state or local guidelines for reopening with required safety protocols, including but not limited to equipment, plexiglass barriers, outdoor dining, PPE supplies, testing, and employee training expenses; or
• Any other COVID-19 related expenses not already covered through grants, forgivable loans or other relief through federal, state, county or city programs

To register for an upcoming information webinar, CLICK HERE.

• ?Stimulus checks of $600 for every adult with a 2019 adjust gross income of $75,000 or less ?and adjusted checks for those with incomes between $75,000 and $87,000. Those who received more than $87,000 in income will not receive a check. Parents will also be paid $600 for every dependent child with no limit on the number of children.
• An additional $300 per week in unemployment benefits to last for 11 weeks
• $284 billion will be made available to businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program

I will send along more information about how these benefits will be doled out and can be accessed as soon as that information is available.

The Santa Barbara County Health Department will be following guidelines from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to prioritize allocation of the vaccine. During Phase 1 of allocation, COVID-19 vaccine will be offered to the following persons:

Phase 1A Draft Priority Vaccine Distribution

Per CDPH guidelines 12-5-2020 Prioritized distribution to: Persons at risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 through their work in any role in direct health care or long-term care settings. Residents of skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and similar long-term care setting for older or medically vulnerable individuals.

Tier 1

• Staff of acute care hospitals, psych, correctional facility hospitals
• Staff/residents in long term care setting serving older and high risk
• EMS personnel providing EMS services
• Dialysis Center staff

Tier 2

• Intermediate Care Facilities
• Home health/ home care workers
• Community Health workers
• Primary, correctional, urgent care clinics

Tier 3

• Specialty clinics
• Lab workers
• Dental
• Pharmacy (if not included previously)

Further information on the priority tiers established by CDPH during the initial phase, when vaccine will be limited, can be found here.

COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be available for the general public in the Spring of 2021. This timeline will be adjusted as the Public Health Department learns more.

1. Correctly wear a cloth face covering to prevent disease spread when outside your home and around others that are not part of your household.
2. Avoid confined spaces – Actively stay away from indoor spaces that don’t allow for easy distancing of at least 6ft between you and others.
3. Avoid close contact – Stay at least 6 feet away from all other people who are not part of your own household, especially while talking, eating and drinking.
4. Remain outdoors as much as possible when socializing with people not in your household – beach walks or present exchanges in a park, for example.
5. Wash or sanitize your hands often.
6. Clean frequently touched items regularly.
7. If you are sick, or you have been in contact with someone who is sick with COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19 stay home, away from others, and get tested.

Stay safe and healthy,

Das