Sacramento to set up $1 million business relief fund, ban some evictions caused by coronavirus
Sacramento city officials Thursday announced several actions they plan to take in an attempt to prevent a further spread of the new coronavirus, as well as help businesses and parents struggling as people avoid public places and schools shut down.
The City Council will vote on the measures during a special meeting Friday at 1 p.m., Mayor Darrell Steinberg said. That meeting will not be open to the public, to prevent the spread of the virus, but will be livestreamed here.
The actions include:
▪ Free metered parking from 4:30 p.m. onward for up to 30 days, to encourage people to visit restaurants and businesses. All other parking enforcement is still in place.
▪ A ban on evictions for residential and business tenants who are unable to pay rent due to reasons related to the coronavirus.
“Nobody should be evicted because they are short of cash in one way or another because of the coronavirus,” Steinberg said during a press conference at City Hall Thursday.
San Jose and several other cities around the country have enacted eviction bans. The Sacramento Tenants Union and other activists had been pressuring Sacramento officials to follow suit.
“Let’s say you’re a restaurant worker,” Councilman Steve Hansen said. “The restaurant has no shifts because no one is going and you can’t make rent. This will encourage and require the landlord not to kick you out.”
If the council passes it Friday, it would take effect immediately, Hansen said.
▪ A $1 million economic relief package for small local businesses including restaurants, retail and day care providers. It could include zero-interest loans of up to $25,000 based on need.
“What we want to do is basically an emergency loan to them to help them get through, whether it’s two weeks, three weeks, four weeks and we’re gonna reassess,” Hansen said. “We have so many businesses, for profit and not for profit, that are small that are very vulnerable with this kind of impact with conferences being canceled, with games being canceled.”
The city will also start a small business hotline business owners can call for help.
Hansen and Steinberg urged people to continue to go out to eat, go shopping, and stay in hotels.
“Please, go to restaurants if you can,” Steinberg said, adding residents who don’t feel comfortable dining out could also order food delivered from local restaurants.
Councilman Eric Guerra said some Asian restaurant owners in Little Saigon have been losing business, even starting last month.
“If there is any sentiment of racism, prejudice or bias that we gotta immediately say that is not acceptable because this is a public health crisis that’s affecting everybody,” Guerra said.
Sacramento officials are also planning to roll out discounted rates for restaurants and hotels to encourage people to keep supporting local businesses, Hansen said.
▪ An emergency declaration that will allow small businesses to process insurance claims.
“It allows businesses that have insurance that cover natural disasters, which this is, to access those insurance lines,” Hansen said.
▪ Up to $250,000 to purchase and distribute emergency sanitation and cleaning supplies for the homeless.
That funding will pay for hand washing stations and other items to minimize the spread of the virus among the vulnerable population, Steinberg said.
There are more than 5,570 homeless people living in Sacramento County, a count in January 2019 found, mostly in the city and mostly living outdoors.
▪ Cancel permits for special events with more than 250 people, in line with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request. Fees will be refunded. The city will also consider canceling smaller events if they would be attended by seniors or vulnerable people, Steinberg said.
▪ Establish places children and families can go get food if more schools close.
“We know the vast majority of our kids at Sac City (Unified School District) for example are on free or reduced lunch,” Steinberg said.
▪ Acquire and distribute emergency sanitation and cleaning supplies to impacted businesses. Items like sanitation wipes and hand sanitizer are increasingly hard to find.
▪ Work with the Sacramento Central Labor Council to help people navigate the unemployment process, paid family leave, disability insurance, unemployment insurance, paid sick leave and workers compensation.
Sacramento County taking action
Sacramento County public health officials on Thursday afternoon joined the governor and city in recommending that “non-essential gatherings with more than 250 people should be postponed or canceled at least until the end of March in order to slow the transmission of COVID-19.”
Smaller events may proceed if organizers can implement social distancing of six feet per person, county health officials said.
The request was based on guidance released Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health.
As of Thursday, county officials were saying the impact of COVD-19 in Sacramento is classified as “minimal to moderate.” Seventeen cases and one death have been reported.
At the same time as the announcement, county officials canceled a key meeting of the Sacramento Transportation Authority in which the authority board had planned to vote whether or not to move forward toward placing a major transportation sales tax on the November ballot.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 12:29 PM.
