The California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program provides competitive micro grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to eligible small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19 and the related health and safety restrictions. There will be three additional rounds for the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program following Governor Gavin Newsom signing into law the largest economic recovery package in state history. Sign up for Program and CalOSBA updates here and find application dates and information at CAReliefGrant.com

The California Business Investment Services (CalBIS) Unit provides no-fee, tailored site selection services to employers, corporate real estate executives, and site location consultants who are considering California for relocation and/or expansion.

Our staff is available to help identify the advantages of considering California locations for business relocation and expansion.

In addition to site selection, the CalBIS team assists businesses with a wide array of incentives, resources, and services including:

• Financial assistance and loan programs
• Labor availability and education information
• State and local permit assistance
• Transportation and infrastructure information
• Information on tax credits and other incentive programs

Contact Information

GO-Biz website

1-877-345-4633

The Permit Assistance Unit offers comprehensive permit and regulatory compliance assistance to all businesses in California by serving as the central source of permit guidance.

Knowledgeable staff helps new business owners identify the permits needed to start a new business or expand an existing one. To help streamline the permitting process, Permit Specialists may schedule pre-application meetings between businesses and the appropriate regulatory agencies. When necessary, staff can act as a neutral third-party facilitator between businesses and local, state, and/or federal regulatory agencies to resolve permitting issues. All these services are free and confidential.

For a comprehensive list of GO-Biz’ programs and more information, visit theGO-Biz website.

Contact Information

GO-Biz website

1-877-345-4633

Eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and agricultural businesses in all U.S. states and territories can apply for COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Visit sba.gov to learn more about eligibility and application requirements. The last day that applications may be received is December 31, 2021. All applicants should file their applications as soon as possible.

• EIDL loan and Targeted Advance applications will be accepted until December 31 and will continue to be processed after this date until funds are exhausted.
• Supplemental Targeted Advance applications will be accepted until December 31; however, the SBA may be unable to process some Supplemental Targeted Advance applications submitted near the December 31 deadline due to legal requirements. The SBA cannot continue to process Supplemental Targeted Advance applications after December 31 and strongly encourages eligible small businesses to apply by December 10 to ensure adequate processing time.
• Borrowers can request increases up to their maximum eligible loan amount for up to two years after their loan origination date, or until the funds are exhausted, whichever is soonest.
• The SBA will accept and review reconsideration and appeal requests for COVID EIDL applications received on or before December 31 if the reconsideration/appeal is received within the timeframes in the regulation. This means six months from the date of decline for reconsiderations and 30 days from the date of reconsideration decline for appeals – unless funding is no longer available.

SBA Physical Damage and Economic Injury Loans
SBA’s physical Damage and Economic Injury loans are available as a result of California drought. Please check the Disaster Loan Assistance page for disaster declarations in your area, as well as to apply for a disaster loan and check the status of a pending application.

Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the drought not occurred.

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or by email for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call (800) 877-8339. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Current Pipeline Oil Spill declaration:
CA-00350 Affecting Orange County and the contiguous counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino & San Diego. Application filing deadline: July 27, 2022.

Current Drought declarations in California:
CA-00339: Affecting Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Filing deadline: February 22 2022.

CA-00337: Affecting the counties of: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara and the contiguous California counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Merced, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz & Ventura. Filing deadline: January 10 2022,

CA-00336: Affecting Santa Cruz County and the contiguous California counties of Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo & Santa Clara. Filing deadline: January 3 2022.

CA-00335: Affecting Ventura County and the contiguous counties of Kern, Los Angeles & Santa Barbara. Filing deadline: December 27, 2021.

CA-00333: Affecting Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo & Yuba; and the contiguous counties of: Monterey, Orange, San Benito, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz & Ventura. Filing deadline: November 5, 2021.

SBA Low-Interest Federal Disaster Loans to Certain Non-Profit Organizations
Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to certain private nonprofit organizations in California following President Trump’s federal disaster declaration for Public Assistance as a result of wildfires that began Aug. 14, 2020, announced Administrator Jovita Carranza 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 Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma counties.

Private nonprofit organizations should contact the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Recovery Section byemailing CalOESor by visiting theCalOES websiteto obtain information about applicant briefings. At the briefings, private nonprofit representatives will need to provide information about their organization. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will use that information to determine if the private nonprofit provides an essential governmental serviceand is a critical facilityas defined by law. If so, FEMA may provide the private nonprofit with a Public Assistance grant for their eligible costs. If not, FEMA may refer the private nonprofit to SBA for disaster loan assistance.

IBank offers loan programs for businesses affected by disasters in California.

IBank, a unit within California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), offers the following loan programs for businesses from one to 750 employees (small businesses):

DISASTER RELIEF LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM (DRLGP)

IBank will issue loan guarantees up to 95 percent of the loan through its partner Financial Development Corporations to help small business borrowers who were impacted by disasters or public safety power shutoffs and who need term loans or lines of credit for working capital. Small businesses, including small farms, nurseries, agriculture-related enterprises and nonprofits that have suffered an economic loss Resources for Businesses and/or physical damage may apply. This disaster program will help lenders and small businesses by providing loan guarantees of up to $1 million for small business borrowers in declared disaster areas.

JUMP START LOAN PROGRAM

IBank is offering loans from $500 to $10,000 to low-wealth entrepreneurs in the declared disaster and emergency areas through its Jump Start Loan Program. IBank established the Jump Start Loan Program in 2016 as a small loan and financial literacy/technical assistance program designed for low-income small businesses in low-wealth communities, including businesses owned by women, minorities, veterans, people with disabilities and those previously incarcerated. Access to IBank’s Disaster Relief Loan Guarantee Program and Jump Start Loan Program can be made through its partner Financial Development Corporations (FDCs)

For more information on how to apply, visit the IBANK website

Contact Information

IBANK website

1-916-341-6600

Designed to provide up to 100% coverage on certain loan defaults.

CALIFORNIA CAPITAL ACCESS PROGRAM (CalCAP)

Find more information at theCalifornia State Treasurer’s Office website.

The California Capital Access Program for Small Business (CalCAPSB or Program) encourages banks and other financial institutions to make loans to small businesses that have difficulty obtaining financing. If you own a small business and need a loan for start-up, expansion or working capital, you may receive more favorable loan terms from a lender if your loan is enrolled in theCalCAPLoan Loss Reserve Program. This program helps communities by providing financing to businesses that create jobs and improve the economy. Loans are available up to $5 million.

CalCAP is a loan loss reserve program which may provide up to 100% coverage on losses as a result of certain loan defaults. WithCalCAPportfolio support, a lender may be more comfortable underwriting small business loans.

Check to see if your commercial lender or financial institution participates inor find a participating lender. If your financial institution does not currently participate, it is easy for lenders to sign up. Please have your institution complete the Financial Institution Application and send toCalCAP to get started.

To find a participating lender, visit theCalifornia State Treasurer’s Office website

Financial Institution Application available at theCalifornia State Treasurer’s Office website

Email completed applications to the Treasurer’s Office, calcap@treasurer.gov.

Contact Information

California State Treasurer’s Office website

(916) 653-2995

If your property has been damaged by a recent natural disaster, you may be eligible for property tax relief. In many cases, the damaged property can be reappraised in its current condition, with some taxes refunded to the property owner.

Once rebuilt, the property’s pre-damaged value will be restored.

Owners of eligible property may also apply for deferral of the next property tax installment on the regular secured roll or tax payments on the supplemental roll, without penalties or interest. The disaster must be the result of a Governor-proclaimed state of emergency. When a timely claim for deferral is filed, the next property tax installment payment is deferred without penalty or interest until the county assessor has reassessed the property and a corrected tax bill has been sent to the property owner.

For a chronological List of Governor-Proclaimed Disasters, visit the CA Board of Equalization website.

CLAIM FILING

More details about claim filing can be found at the CA Board of Equalization website. To qualify for property tax relief under section 170, you must file a claim with the county assessor within 12 months from the date of damage or destruction, or the time specified in your county ordinance, whichever is later. There must be at least a $10,000 estimated loss of current market value to qualify the property for this relief.

Visit the County Assessor’s Office at the CA Board of Equalization website.

After an application is processed by the county assessor’s office, a notice of proposed new assessment will be sent to you. Subsequently, a separate supplemental refund will be made based on the amount of reduction. The refund will be prorated from the month in which the disaster occurred to the end of the fiscal year or completion of new construction, whichever is first. You do not have to file a separate claim for refund. However, you must still pay your regular tax bill.

The form and its title differ from county to county; therefore, you must contact your county assessor for an application for reassessment for property damaged or destroyed by misfortune or calamity. In some cases, the form may be downloaded from the county’s website. You may find your assessor’s contact information by visiting the Listing of County Assessors.

DISASTER RELIEF QUICK REFERENCE CHART

More details about resources can be found at the CA Board of Equalization website.

While section 170 is one form of relief that may be available when a disaster strikes, depending on the nature of your property, you may be eligible for additional relief. The chart below lists additional relief that may be available to you based on property type and the type of disaster that occurred. The listed Revenue and Taxation Code will provide the requirements of each relief option.

Contact Information

CA Board of Equalization website

1-800-400-7115

Business owners and other tax and fee payers affected by natural disasters may request extensions to file returns and relief from penalties and/or interest.

Tax and fee payers for the programs below can request relief from penalties and/or interest and ask for an extension of time to file their tax or fee returns either by visiting our website or by calling CDTFA’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-400-7115 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific time), excluding state holidays.

EXTENSION OF FILING DEADLINE

An extension of up to three months* to file and pay taxes or fees is available in all of the following CDTFA administered programs:

This relief is offered to any business owner or feepayer who was directly affected by the disasters in the counties listed above, and who, as a result, cannot meet their filing and payment deadlines. The CDTFA has also extended the deadline for filings that were delayed by disruption of service of the United States Postal Service or private mail and freight companies.

*Effective September 9, 2016, the extension available for tax or fee payers affected by a disaster was increased from one-month to up to three months (Assembly Bill 1559).

ONLINE RELIEF REQUEST OF INTEREST AND PENALTIES

Relief from interest and penalties may be provided for those persons who are unable to file their returns and pay taxes and fees when due. This relief may be provided for the programs listed above. To request a filing extension or relief from interest and penalties visit our Relief Request webpage.

Request Relief at the CA Department of Tax and Fee Administration website

Please note: The relief program for interstate user tax under the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) applies to California tax only. California is unable to waive interest and penalties for another jurisdiction. For information regarding IFTA, please call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-400-7115.

International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) at the CA Department of Tax and Fee Administration website

COPIES OF CDTFA TAX RECORDS

Business owners and fee payers who need to obtain copies of CDTFA tax records will be able to receive replacements free of charge. To obtain copies of critical tax records on file with the CDTFA, please call us toll-free at 1-800-400-7115. These forms may include copies of prior tax returns filed with the CDTFA, audits, or permit applications.

Contact Information

CA Department of Tax and Fee Administration website

1-800-400-7115

Provides services to individuals and business affected by disasters in CA. EDD staff is located throughout the state and are often at Local Assistance Centers to provide: assistance with filing claims for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, job search assistance, and general support, referrals, and resources.

WAITING WEEK FOR UNEMPLOYED BENEFITS WAIVED

Governor’s Emergency Proclamations usually waive the non-payable one-week waiting period for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit payments to eligible individuals affected by current disasters. This means individuals can be paid benefits for the first week they are unemployed due to the disaster.

The UI program provides partial wage replacement benefits to workers who lose their jobs, or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own. Learn more about the Unemployment Insurance program and eligibility requirements for collecting benefits.

For more information on the UI Program, visit theCA Employment Development Department website

EXTENSIONS FOR EMPLOYERS TO FILE AND PAY PAYROLL TAXES

Employers directly affected by a disaster may request up to a 60-day extension of time from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit state payroll taxes without penalty or interest.

For more information about how to request an extension and other employer assistance available, visit Emergency and Disaster Assistance for Employers at the CA Employment Development Department website

You can also learn about assistance available through the Internal Revenue Service’s Help During Disasters web page at theInternational Revenue Service website.

OTHER DISASTER-RELATED EDD SERVICES

JOB SEARCH ASSISTANCE

In disaster situations, our EDD Workforce Services representatives will often be available along with our UI and Tax representatives in Local Assistance Centers that may be established by the State OES. They can provide a wide range of job search assistance and employer support services, as well as other general support, referrals, and resources.

For Job Assistance, visit theCA Employment Development Department website.

For Employer Support Services, visit theCA Employment Development Department website.

For California’s online job exchange system, visit theCalJOBS website.
DISABILITY INSURANCE BENEFITS

Disability Insurance (DI) provides partial wage replacement benefits to eligible California workers who are unable to work due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. If you were injured by the disaster, you may be eligible for DI benefits.

To apply for DI benefits, submit a Claim for Disability Insurance (DI) Benefits (DE 2501) using SDI Online or by mail. If you need a paper version of the DE 2501, you can order the form through the Online Forms and Publications page or contact DI by phone.

Contact Information

CA Employment Development Department website

• English: 1-800-300-5616
• Spanish: 1-800-326-8937
• Cantonese: 1-800-547-3506
• Mandarin: 1-866-303-0706
• Vietnamese: 1-800-547-2058
• TTY: 1-800-815-9387

Aids with questions about insurance or dispute with an insurer. Consumers can visit the CDI website to review essential Top Ten Tips, obtain information from Resources page, and submit a complaint if they are experiencing insurance related problems. CDI staff are also located at Local Assistance and Disaster Recovery Centers for one-on-one assistance.

The CA Department of Insurance (CDI) is available to provide assistance with questions about insurance or a dispute with your insurer. The Department has prepared guides on understanding key insurance items, preparing, and making a claim and how to avoid fraud after disaster. Consumers can visit the CDI website to review essential Top Ten Tips, obtain information from the Resources page, and submit a complaint if they are experiencing insurance related problems. CDI staff are also located at Local Assistance and Disaster Recovery Centers for one-on-one assistance.

Contact Information

CA Department of Insurance

1-800-927-4357

Taxpayers may deduct a disaster loss for any loss sustained in California that is proclaimed by the Governor to be in a state of emergency.

California law generally follows federal law regarding the treatment of losses incurred because of a casualty or a disaster.

CASUALTY LOSS

If your property is lost or damaged due to an earthquake, fire, flood, or similar event that is sudden, unexpected, or unusual, and insurance or other reimbursements do not repay you for the damage to your property, you will usually qualify for a casualty loss deduction.

DISASTER LOSS

For California purposes, a casualty loss becomes a disaster loss when both of the following occur:

• You sustain the loss in an area the President of the United States or the Governor of California declares a state of emergency.
• You sustain the loss because of the declared disaster.

STATE TAX RELIEF

State tax relief is available for taxpayers impacted by natural disasters. Write Name of Declared Disasterin red ink at the top of the tax return to alert FTB the return is disaster-related. (NOTE: this information has not been updated on the FTB website at the time of this publication but follows previous announcements such as the Carr Fire.)

COPIES OF TAX RETURNS

Taxpayers who are survivors of a disaster may also receive free copies of state returns to replace lost or damaged ones. Taxpayers may complete Form FTB 3516, Request for Copy of Tax Return and print the name of the disaster in red ink (for example, Camp Fire) at the top of the request.

Contact Information

Franchise Tax Board website

1-800-852-5711

The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) verifies contractor licenses, investigates complaints, and provides helpful information about hiring a licensed contractor. For information on hiring or filing a complaint regarding a contractor, disaster victims may call CSLB’s Disaster Hotline M-F from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Contact Information

Department of Consumers Affairs – Contractors State License Board website

1-800-962-1125

24-hour automated telephone response system:
1-800-321-CSLB (2752)

The Panel implemented RESPOND Pilot Program in order to help mitigate the devastating effects to workers and industries.

Contact Information

More information about Employment Training Panel – Rapid Employment Strategies Pilot on Natural Disasters – RESPOND

1-916-327-5640

24-hour automated telephone response system:
1-800-321-CSLB (2752)

The United States Small Business Administration also has an introduction to securing information in a small business.

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Protect Your Small Business. Learn the basics for protecting your business from cyber attacks.

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Access this free booklet that contains fact sheets on cybersecurity topics. These materials will help you and your staff learn about cybersecurity and make it part of your business routine.

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Find resources and materials to keep your small business cyber secure including, DHS Small and Midsize Business Toolkit, Small Biz Cyber Planner 2.0, U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, and more.

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Build a customizable cybersecurity plan for your business.

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