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Periodically, the City of Oakland’s Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) will send important updates to businesses, nonprofits, independent contractors and our partner organizations who support them. These are just highlights of available resources. For information on all of the support programs available, please visit our Business & Worker Resource web page.
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Commercial Eviction Moratorium Extended
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The City of Oakland’s commercial eviction moratorium conforms to Governor Newsom’s Executive Orders. His new Order halts evictions for commercial renters impacted by COVID-19 through June 30, 2021. Visit the Eviction Moratorium section of the
City’s COVID-19 Business Resources page for additional information and resources, including links to webinars on lease negotiations in four languages presented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the SF Bay Area.
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- Black, Latino/a/x, immigrant and undocumented business owners in East Oakland
- Reside or operate a business in the following ZIP Codes: 94601, 94603, 94605 or 94621
- Have had at least one sale
- Brick-and-mortar OR home-based businesses
- Can commit to a year-long program with regular check-ins
Legacy business owners (those who have been in operation for more than five years) who meet the above criteria may also be eligible for additional in-depth business advising.
Participating business owners will be provided with one-on-one support for up to a year to bolster their current offerings and address any resource gaps they may be experiencing. This could include marketing support, technical assistance with funding applications, introductions to people and organizations, support with research and more. This pilot – created in partnership between The Alliance for Community Development, The Greenlining Institute and Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative – also provides grant funding to selected businesses who participate.
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Eligible entities must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020, and include:
- Live venue operators or promoters
- Theatrical producers
- Live performing arts organization operators
- Relevant museum operators, zoos and aquariums who meet specific
criteria
- Motion picture theater operators
- Talent representatives
Eligible applicants may qualify for grants up to $10 million with $2 billion reserved for applicants with up to 50 full-time employees. Entities that apply
for a PPP loan after December 27, 2020 can also apply for an SVOG, with the SVOG reduced by the PPP loan amount.
Grant funds may be used for specific expenses, such as payroll, rent and mortgage payments, utilities, protective equipment purchases for workers, debt payments, necessary business expenses and more. Register for the webinar to be held
on Tuesday, March 30, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time. Questions? Email SVOGrant@sba.gov
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Prepare
to Apply for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grant
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The American Rescue Plan includes $28.6 billion in grants for independent food service or drinking establishments – including caterers, brewpubs, taprooms, and tasting rooms – that have 20 or fewer locations (as of March 13, 2020) and are not publicly traded.
The amount of the grant will vary depending on when the restaurant opened and the restaurant's revenue amounts, but will not exceed $10 million per restaurant group or $5 million per individual restaurant. Restaurants that opened during 2020 may apply for grants to cover eligible expenses incurred. Businesses that received a PPP loan will be eligible for these grants, however, the amount of PPP loans received in 2020 will be subtracted. Those businesses that receive or have a pending application for a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant are not eligible.
Grants may be used for:
- Payroll and benefits (not including employee compensation exceeding $100,000/year)
- Mortgage or rent
- Utilities
- Maintenance and construction to accommodate outdoor seating
- Supplies (including PPE and cleaning materials)
- Food and beverage expenses
- Operational expenses
- Sick leave
- Other expenses
It has been reported that for the first three weeks of the application period, SBA will prioritize grants to small businesses owned and operated by women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
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March 31 Deadline for PPP Loans
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The deadline to apply for the current round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans is March 31,
2021. PPP loans provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. For most borrowers, the maximum loan amount is 2.5 times their average monthly 2019 or 2020 payroll costs up to $2 million. For borrowers in the Accommodation and Food Services sector the maximum loan amount is 3.5 times their average monthly 2019 or 2020 payroll costs up to $2 million. SBA will forgive loans if all employee retention criteria are met, and the funds are used for eligible expenses.
President Biden announced additional program
changes to make access to PPP loans more equitable and available to sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals; small business owners with prior non-fraud felony convictions or student loan debt delinquency; and non-citizen small business owners who are lawful U.S. residents by clarifying that they may use Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to apply for the PPP.
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New Funding Rounds Announced for State Small Business Grant Program
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Round 5 is currently accepting applications through Wednesday, March 31. Dates for Round 6 will be announced soon. If you applied in a previous round and were waitlisted, your application will be automatically moved into the next available round. New applicants can apply at CAReliefGrant.com.
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Draft Workforce Local Plan Released, Comments Sought
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The Oakland Workforce Development Board has released the 2021-2024 Draft Local Plan that articulates how it will coordinate with local partners to ensure employment support services are delivered in a manner accessible to all. Comments on the draft are welcomed through April 19.
- Use the online comment form
- Email your comments to owdb@oaklandca.gov
- Mail written comments to:
Lazandra Dial, Workforce Development Director City of Oakland 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 3315 Oakland CA 94612
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A list of up-to-date resources, including information about worker benefits, grants, loans and support services for small businesses, nonprofits and independent contractors, can be found on the City of Oakland’s Business & Worker Resource web
page. The site is updated regularly as more information becomes available, so please check it often.
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Upcoming Online Workshops & Webinars
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Cada lunes y miércoles, 6 – 9 p.m.
California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Sin Costo Alguno
Cada martes hasta el 20 de Abril, 6 – 9 p.m.
Oakland Latino Chamber of Commerce
Sin Costo Alguno Caltrans Statewide
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Summit Tuesday, March 30, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. Caltrans Free Programa de subvención y otros recursos COVID-19 para las pequeñas empresas Tuesday, March 30, 6 p.m. Small Business
Majority Free
Wednesday, March 31, 3 – 5 p.m.
Alameda County SBDC
Free
Tech Talk: Building Diversity in Tech Tuesday, April 6, 10 – 11:30 a.m. Oakland Workforce Development, Oakland Chambers of Commerce, Tech SF and Bitwise Industries Free Employee Retention Credit Tuesday, April 6, 1:30 – 3 p.m. NorCal SBDC Free Pivot to Product Tuesday, April 6, 3:30 – 5 p.m. Port Product Lab Free COVID-19: Alternative Forms of Payments Wednesday, April 7, 1 – 3 p.m. Alameda County SBDC Free
Thursday, April 8, 1 – 2 p.m.
NorCal SBDC
Free
Thursday, April 8, 3 – 5 p.m.
Alameda County SBDC
Free
Tuesday, April 13, 9 – 10 a.m.
NorCal SBDC
Free
Wednesday, April 14, 10:30 a.m. – Noon
NorCal SBDC
Free
Thursday, April 15, 9 – 11 a.m.
Oakland Metro Chamber
$50-$75
Thursday, April 15, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Cal State East Bay University
Free
Thursday, April 15, 1 – 3 p.m.
NorCal SBDC
Free
Thursday, April 22, 3 – 5 p.m.
NorCal SBDC
Free
Wednesday, April 28, 10:30 a.m. – Noon
NorCal SBDC
Free
Wednesday, April 28, 1 – 3 p.m.
NorCal SBDC
Free
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