SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Azizza Davis-Goines President of the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce hosted a meeting to hear from state and local elected officials, including the Legislative Black Caucus, on solutions to pandemic impacts going forward.
She wanted members, which includes ABC10's Chris Thomas who serves as a board member, to hear from them about what they're doing to help businesses through the pandemic.
“Probably 41% of the African-American small businesses are gone as a result of not having resources, not having access to capital, not having the support,” said Davis-Goines.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg said its the city's responsibility to make the investment in the community. He said that the city intends invest in disadvantaged communities with real resources. It's a plan that involves $112 million dollars in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan.
“We should be able to get some or most of this money out within the next couple months. Believe me, I am as impatient as anyone because I want to see the results,” Mayor Steinberg said.
He’s recommending $30 million dollars for small businesses with more than $3 million dollars allocated for area chambers of commerce, which is an extension of an effort started during the pandemic.
“We were able to provide PPE. We were able to hook them up with banks when there was funding available through the SBA (Small Business Administration),” Davis-Goines said.
Another effort born out of necessity during the pandemic to help businesses is also sticking around with the mayor’s plan.
“With the Sacramento weather, we need to make permanent this idea that restaurants can serve the people of Sacramento outdoors,” Steinberg said.
The $30 million dollars for small business is just a portion of a larger $100 million dollar plan. The mayor hopes to have a final vote as soon as Sept. 14.
To read the full plan, click HERE.
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