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Dear Small Business Community Partner,
We at the Office of Economic and Workforce Development hope this finds you in good health. As our Office continues to advocate for more small business support on the local, state and federal level, we want to ensure that you are informed regarding all of the public and private resources available to you and your employees.
In this email, you will find the following:
1. Recent announcements regarding service and policy changes
2. Useful webinars and informational resources
3. New resources and services for small businesses and employees
4. Ongoing resources and services for small businesses and employees
We know that this is an unprecedented and challenging time for all. As focus shifts to reopening the City and planning for our recovery, we want to reiterate that we are committed to supporting you throughout all stages of this emergency. We also encourage you to visit our COVID-19 web page for up-to-date information and resources or reach out to us directly using this information:
Small Business Assistance Center: 415-554-6134 or [email protected]
Worker Information Line: 415-701-4817 or [email protected]
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Expansion of CityTestSF
Mayor London N. Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax today announced the expansion of CityTestSF to provide COVID-19 testing to any essential worker in San Francisco—both public and private—as well as any San Francisco resident who cannot otherwise access COVID-19 testing. For more information on CityTest go to the City website.
Deferral of Business Registration Renewal and License Fees
Mayor London N. Breed and Treasurer José Cisneros announced new measures to support San Francisco businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. More info:
- Deferral of Business Registration Fee: The City will extend the 2020 Business Registration Fee deadline by four months to September 30, 2020. At the end of April, Business Registration Renewal instructions are mailed to businesses to renew their registration to maintain their ability to do business in San Francisco for the upcoming fiscal year. This year, the registration renewal fee is now due by September 30, 2020 instead of by May 31, 2020. Mayor Breed will be working with Treasurer Cisneros to notify businesses that the Business Registration Fee can be deferred.
- Deferral of Business License Fees: In March, Mayor Breed announced an initial three-month delay for the collection of the fees. The City will provide tax relief for businesses by further delaying the City’s collection of the unified license fees until September 30, 2020. The unified license fees include, but are not limited to, charges to restaurants and food businesses, bars, convenience stores, many small retailers, hotels, and tour operators, from departments such as the Department of Public Health, Entertainment Commission, Fire Department, and Police Department.
San Francisco Policy on Face Coverings
On April 17th, Mayor London N. Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax announced that everyone in San Francisco will be required to wear face coverings when they are outside of their homes for essential needs, including waiting in line for or inside of a grocery store or on public transportation. Additionally, transportation workers and other employees who interact with the public must also cover their face while doing essential work. A full list of the requirements of the Health Order go to SF.gov.
Slow Streets Program
Intended to provide a network of streets that prioritize walking and biking for essential trips while still allowing local vehicle traffic, the Slow Streets Program’s goal is to reduce and slow vehicle traffic, supporting social distancing and pedestrian safety. Please visit sfmta.com/COVID19 for a map of candidate Slow Streets, updated Muni service, and the latest agency updates.
Commercial Eviction Moratorium Extended
Last week Mayor Breed signed the Executive Order to extend the commercial eviction moratorium for an additional 30 days through May 17, 2020. Back on March 17th, Mayor Breed announced a commercial evictions moratorium that prevents any small and medium-sized businesses from being evicted due a loss of income related to lost revenue or other economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The moratorium is in effect for 30 days and can be extended by the Mayor for another 30 days if emergency conditions at that time warrant extension.
Third-Party Delivery Fee Cap
Last week, Mayor Breed, Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, and Supervisor Aaron Peskin announced a temporary limit of no more than 15% commission that third-party food delivery companies can charge restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cap will be in effect through the remainder of the local emergency, or until businesses are permitted to reopen for dine-in service, whichever comes first. For more information, click here.
WEBINARS & INFORMATION
Cooped Up with Carmen – Thursdays at 12pm
Assessor Carmen Chu’s web series Cooped Up with Carmen that aired on Thursday, April 23rd at noon addressed questions relating to Commercial Tenants and COVID-19 with expert guest Tobias Damm-Luhr, Esq. with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. To get more information and view prior webinars, visit https://www.facebook.com/CarmenChuSF. You can also send questions and suggestions for future segments of the series by visiting: https://forms.gle/fpdFitcjMtDrSkmA6
NorCal SBDC Webinars
The Lead Center for the NorCal Small Business Development Center will be hosting a series of Loan Q&A webinars four times per week until the end of May with the following schedule:
NOTE: Pre-registration required for the Spanish webinar.
Business owners can take advantage of these webinars and directly ask experts the questions you have on all the financing programs related to COVID-19.
Business Impact Support
If you are a business impacted by COVID19 and considering work stoppages, layoffs, or furloughs, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development is offering virtual info sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays for you and your employees. Together with Employment Development Department (EDD) and other partners, they will present information on unemployment benefits, healthcare resources, and career services to assist you and your employees during this critical time. Click here to sign up.
SF LGBTQIA Weekly Relief Program Updates
SF LGBT Center has been hosting a weekly relief program updates through Zoom meeting to small business owners in the LGBTQIA community and everyone else. Besides providing updates about various relief programs, they also invite guest speakers to provide useful information and answer questions to help you through this difficult time. To learn more and sign up for these meetings, click here.
CARES Act and Small Businesses – Berkeley Law, University of California
Berkeley Law professor and Berkeley Center for Law and Business faculty co-chair Robert Bartlett created this summary and video presentation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The summary focuses on the key provisions for assisting small business owners as of April 7, 2020.
NEW RESOURCES & SERVICES
Salesforce Care Small Business Grant
Salesforce will be offering Salesforce Care Small Business Grants of $10,000 to provide capital to help keep businesses afloat. Application deadline: May 4, 11:59pm. These grants will support small businesses as they work to replenish materials, pay salaries, or adapt their business model to overcome these challenging times. The grant application will be available to US businesses in mid-April, and Salesforce will be providing additional details on financial support to international small businesses in the near future, for a total financial commitment of $5 million. Sign up to get notified here. To learn more resources offered by Salesforce, visit here.
Nextdoor Support for Small Businesses
Nextdoor announced a number of features last week aimed at helping small businesses, including promotion of gift cards and take out options. You can start taking advantage of these features immediately by setting up your business page on Nextdoor for free here.
If you already have a business page on Nextdoor, In the Business Profile section of your Business Page under Contact Information, you can now add your gift card URL so that neighbors know exactly where to purchase gift cards with you. Enter your URL in the field labeled URL for gift card purchases. Don’t yet have gift cards set up for your business? Get started with Square.
You’ll see two new check-boxes for Takeout available and Delivery available at the bottom of your business page. If you check the box for Takeout available, members will be able to see that you offer a takeout option on your Business Page. If you check the box for Delivery available, you’ll see a new field where you can enter a URL through which members can order from your business for delivery. This link will be displayed on your Business Page.
All you need to do is update the links in your Business Page on Nextdoor and they will handle the marketing to their members for you. Devoted sections in news feeds and on the main Businesses section on Nextdoor will show neighbors which businesses are offering gift cards or takeout/delivery options.
Facebook Grants
Facebook has allocated $15 million for cash and ad credits to support Bay Area small businesses as part of a $100 million global grant fund. Facebook expects to set aside half of all funds for businesses owned by women, minority entrepreneurs and veterans.
Applications are now being taken and will be accepted until midnight on April 27. Facebook has posted more information here.
Facebook will be adopting the following criteria for applications:
- Be a for profit company
- Have between 2 and 50 employees
- Have been in business for over a year
- Have experienced challenges from COVID-19
- All businesses located in San Jose or other cities in Santa Clara County and the five other eligible Bay Area Counties can apply.
Facebook will also be launching a new digital gift card discovery platform and fundraising tools.
LISC Rapid Relief and Resiliency Fund
LISC has mobilized to support the people and communities hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. The money raised through the Rapid Relief & Resilency Fund is:
- Providing grants to women- and minority-owned small businesses that are the backbone of local economies
- Supporting thousands of community-based organizations that serve clients in need
- Delivering tech support and infrastructure to help residents and enterprises access work, school, commerce and social connection
EDD Form Assistance – Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) and Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus
FBANC and Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus is hosting a free virtual clinic for the whole month of April 2020, offering to help workers with unemployment assistance. They have over 40 pro bono attorneys and advocates on hand every day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. to help workers fill out applications (unemployment, state disability, and paid family leave) from start to finish. Help is available in Tagalog, Illocano, Cebuano, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish.
Onward CA
Looking for locally available jobs and resources? Check out Onward CA, a partnership between the Governor and private firms to match displaced workers with: (1) jobs, (2) life-essential services, and (3) money, food, shelter.
ONGOING RESOURCES & SERVICES
Please continue to visit the City’s website for businesses and employees impacted by COVID-19, www.oewd.org/covid19, including resources, contacts, and updates for small businesses.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health Orders and recommendations from DPH can be found at: sfdph.org/dph/alerts/coronavirus.asp
All Mayoral declarations regarding COVID-19 can be found at:
sfmayor.org/mayoral-declarations-regarding-covid-19
Direct Support for Small Businesses
Call our Small Business Assistance Center at 415-554-6134
Email us at [email protected]
Direct Support for Employees
Call our Worker Information Line at 415-701-4817
Email us at [email protected]
Employers Hiring During COVID-19:
Our weekly newsletter provides some of the latest job openings in SF. Sign up here and select “Workforce: Hiring Events & Job Opportunities” and check out the most recent postings here.
Homeless Services Job Portal
A project of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing and Tipping Point Community’s Chronic Homelessness Initiative. Check out these job opportunities: https://chi.mysmartjobboard.com/ |
