‘Crisis presents opportunity.’ How Tara Lynn Gray plans to save California’s small businesses
Tara Lynn Gray was appointed in March by Gov. Gavin Newsom to be California’s new Director at the Office of Small Business Advocate.
She has been a small business owner and has been doing small business support services for 25 years. Recently, she was the Chief Executive Officer of the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce for the past four years.
Gray was invited to a luncheon earlier this month hosted by the California Black Chamber of Commerce. There, she spoke with The Sacramento Bee about her order of business with her new position and job title.
Note: This interview was edited for clarity purposes.
Q: I’ve hear you have an agenda, vision, and goals [with your position]. Could you share that with me today?
A: Well, this is a very special time. I mean we’re coming on the heels of COVID-19. And I believe that we’re in a very special moment in our state. I believe our governor has handled this crisis in a way that no other governor has handled it. Governor Newsom has done an extraordinary job. We’ve had a crisis with small business across the economy, but crisis presents an opportunity, and I think that’s the place where we are right now.
We’re investing $2.5 billion in small businesses, giving relief grants to those small businesses, from $5000 to $25,000 depending upon their size. There is an emphasis on disadvantaged communities, disaster impacted communities, and communities where English is not the first language. We are remaking California’s economy, with the priority that it is an economy for all Californians and I’m optimistic about that. I am excited about what’s before us. I think together we can create a better California for all of us.
Q: In what ways are you going to address businesses that suffered during COVID?
A: Yes, excellent point. California is the fifth largest economy in the world. With a $75 billion surplus, the governor and the legislature are doubling down on investment where it matters. People often forget that the small business owner puts their entire life on the line for their small business, their life savings. Many times they put up their homes as collateral on expansion loans, I mean, it is everything to them and their families. That’s how they feed their children. That’s where college tuition comes from. That’s where the 16 or 17 year olds new car comes from.
Q: Right. Can you discuss the importance of Black-owned small businesses existing in Black neighborhoods?
A: Interesting that you bring that up because that’s one of the things that I really focused on in my previous assignment as Chief Executive Officer of the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce. One of the reasons why that is so significant, is what you just said, it’s important to have BIPOC businesses in BIPOC neighborhoods because it gives BIPOC children opportunity for that first job, to learn that first set of skills, to operate that first cash register, to learn customer service, to learn how to send an email, or to learn how to answer the phone properly. All of those things we get at our first job. So, if the jobs are not in the neighborhood where the people are, then those young people never get an opportunity to get that experience.That’s a difference maker long term. If you’re working your first job at 21, after college, how do you compare after somebody who’s working their first job at 16?
That is one of the reasons why small businesses are critical to our economy, not just the jobs they create for adults who are taking care of families, but the opportunity that they create for our young people.
Q: Earlier in the conversation you mentioned there that $2.5 billion dollar investment to small businesses. Can you elaborate on that?
A: Yeah so that $2.5 billion was put into the California Relief grant program, which was initially $500 million. The legislature requested that the priority be given to women owned businesses, small businesses in disaster areas, small businesses that are owned and run by low to moderate income folks, folks that have a different language other than English as their primary language, and disadvantaged communities. So, priority has been given to the small business owners at the bottom of the economic strata. I think our smallest and our most vulnerable businesses are the folks that are receiving the aid, I’m convinced that that is the case.
Q: For small business owners, how can they apply to all these grants and loans, and is there a deadline?
A: So www.business.ca.gov will get you to my office’s website, and www.careliefgrant.com will get you to that $2.5 billion that’s already gone out and the $1.5 billion we hope is coming.
The first rounds are closed and those grants are in the process of being awarded. If the legislature approves the governor’s budget, and we end up with that $1.5 billion, there’s going to be a couple more rounds.
This story was originally published June 23, 2021 at 9:39 AM.