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Long Beach looks to assist local businesses with resiliency funds

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia has proposed two resiliency funds amounting to $10 million in an effort to support local businesses and restaurants suffering from financial losses related to the coronavirus and health regulations. 

Introduced Monday, the $5 million Personal Services and Fitness Resiliency Fund is intended to support personal care service providers like barber shops, nail salons and independently owned fitness centers. Stricter COVID-19 regulations like this one have imposed financial burdens on these smaller businesses. 

“Our personal care service providers do so much to take care of our community and it is important for us to take care of them,” Garcia said in the statement. “These small business owners are our neighbors, and they need our support more than ever.”

Garcia also proposed the $5 million Restaurant, Brewery and Bar Resiliency Fund a week ago to accommodate eateries in Long Beach who have been forced to close or operate at limited capacity under statewide health measures.

Together, the funds would offer $10 million in relief for Long Beach and are to be taken from an anticipated stimulus package of over $40 million that “Mayor Garcia was instrumental in securing” from the state and federal government, according to the Office of the Mayor. 

Following a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Gov. Gavin Newsom instated a regional stay-at-home order that went into effect in Southern California Sunday at 11:59 p.m. This order further limits nonessential activity and took effect in the eleven-county region once the intensive care unit capacity fell below 15%. 

In line with the order, restaurants and bars have been limited to just takeout and delivery, and health officials have closed personal care services including hair salons, barber shops and tattoo parlors.

The restaurant fund is set to be discussed by the Long Beach City Council at its Dec. 8 meeting and the personal services fund will be considered the following week on Dec. 15, which are being held via teleconference.

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  1. Pingback: Long Beach city council approves $5 million in aid for local restaurant industry - Daily Forty-Niner

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