Disaster Assistance Now Available to Private Nonprofit Organizations in Six Additional Counties

Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to certain private nonprofit organizations in Alameda, Imperial, San Joaquin, San Bernardino, Stanislaus, and Ventura counties following the amendment to President Biden’s April 3, major disaster declaration for Public Assistance as a result of severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides that occurred Feb. 21 – July 10, 2023, announced Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Private nonprofits that provide essential services of a governmental nature are eligible for assistance.

These low-interest federal disaster loans are available in Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne and Ventura counties in California.

Although the deadline to apply for a disaster loan for physical damages was June 5, private nonprofits in Alameda, Imperial, San Joaquin, San Bernardino, Stanislaus and Ventura counties may apply with an explanation that they were not eligible until this July 25, amendment to the declaration.

SBA may lend private nonprofits up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.

For certain private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA also offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the private nonprofit suffered any property damage.

The interest rate is 2.375 percent with terms up to 30 years. The deadline to apply for property damage is June 5, 2023. The deadline to apply for economic injury is Jan. 3, 2024.

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX  76155.

Signed on July 10th by Governor Newsom, SB 132 extends the state’s $330 million-a-year Film and TV Tax Credit Program an additional five years through fiscal 2030-31, which will create an estimated 60,000 jobs and $10 billion of investment over that time.

“California’s iconic entertainment industry drives economic growth in communities all across our state,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Over the past years, our Film and Television Tax Credit Program has helped create thousands of good paying jobs, relocated productions to California, and brought billions in new investment to our state. Through the extension of the program, we’ll continue this growth, protect jobs, and push for progress on diversity so workers better represent communities throughout our state.”

“This fantastic news regarding California’s Film and TV Tax Credit Program is a testament to Governor Newsom’s leadership and the Legislature’s commitment to the industry,” said California Film Commission Executive Director Colleen Bell. “For more than a century, our unmatched crews, talent, infrastructure and locations have made California the world’s entertainment capital. The extension of our tax credit program will strengthen our global competitiveness and deliver significant, long-term value to California’s economic future.”

Building upon a strong track record of success from previous iterations of the program, whose productions have generated more than $23 billion in economic output and supported the employment of more than 178,000 cast and crew, this new budget will create the state’s fourth-generation film/TV tax credit program – known as Program 4.0.

Earlier this week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a slate of bills to accelerate critical infrastructure projects across California that help build our 100% clean electric grid, ensure safe drinking water and boost the state’s water supply and modernize our transportation system.

The legislation represents an urgent push by Governor Newsom to take full advantage of an unprecedented $180 billion in state, local, and federal infrastructure funds over the next ten years – critical to achieving California’s world-leading climate and clean energy goals while also creating up to 400,000 good-paying jobs.

By streamlining permitting, cutting red tape, and allowing state agencies to use new project delivery methods, this legislation will maximize taxpayer dollars and accelerate timelines of projects throughout the state, while ensuring appropriate environmental review and community engagement.

Governor Newsom also signed components of the 2023-24 state budget agreement, which includes $37.8 billion in total budgetary reserves – the largest in state history – including $22.3 billion in the Rainy Day Fund amid continued global economic uncertainty. The budget closes a shortfall of more than $30 billion while preserving major investments in public education, health care, climate action, addressing homelessness, and other priorities.

Bipartisan Group of Riversiders Give CARE Court Stamp of Approval

How much longer can we humanely avert our eyes, ignoring the mentally incapacitated people languishing on our streets?  In a recent poll conducted by Suffolk University, 90% of respondents believed that the U.S. is facing a “full-blown mental health crisis”, and in a California Health Policy Survey, Californians’ identified their top priority policy as ‘ensuring people with severe mental health disorders can get treatment” (2020).   

Californians have an opportunity to address this seemingly bottomless crisis. The Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Act (CARE), also known as Senate Bill 1338, empowers family members, first responders, and behavioral health providers with an avenue to petition a civil court on behalf of a loved one or community member that is incapable of caring for themselves. This potentially allows families and local communities the ability to initiate a CARE plan to provide behavioral health care, including medication, housing, and other services, to adults with psychotic disorders and people who lack medical decision-making capacity. A critically important part of the plan is the appointment of both a public defender and a personal advocate to help guide participants and ensure individual rights are protected.  

Californians across the political spectrum agree that it is time to make a bold commitment to transforming our broken mental health system to help our state’s most vulnerable residents and we have an opportunity to do so now. Arguably, California has not seen meaningful mental health reforms since 1972, partially because we continue to allow a quest for perfection to negate a commitment to incremental progress.

As diverse members of Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson’s Bipartisan Forum, we urge you to join us in supporting this legislation.  Please contact your state representative this week (https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov) to urge a yes vote on SB 1338.

In October 2021, Riverside’s Mayor, Patricia Lock Dawson, convened a group of 14 community members with differing political ideologies to help drive solutions for the crises amongst those in homeless situations with serious mental health conditions. The group felt passionate that state-level mental health reforms were needed, including tools that would allow families to compel their family members with psychotic and addiction disorders into treatment.  The CARE Court legislation (SB 1338) is a step forward in this direction. 

Members of Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson’s Bipartisan Forum are: Dr. Cheryl-Marie Osborne Hansberger, Chani Beeman, Steve Johnson, Ana Miramontes, Rico Alderette, Tisa Rodriguez, Chuck Avila, Sheila Kay Riley, Ruben Ayala, Janice Rooths, Keith Sklarsky, Ana Lee, Dr. Regina Patton-Stell