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The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to helping local companies grow their businesses by taking the lead in programs to create a strong local economy.
TODAY'S GLIMPSE OF LAGUNA
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Good morning Laguna Beach,
 
It’s great to see all of the activity, shopping, and dining here in Laguna Beach!  Thank you for Thinking Laguna First.
 
Tune in to the Economic Forecast Webinar this Thursday, March 25 at 11:30 am to hear the latest market updates.
Click here to register.
 
Have a wonderful week!
 
Warmly,
Sandy Morales
President/CEO
CHAMBER EVENTS
Orange County Advances to the Next Stage of Reopening
The California Department of Health announced that Orange County may move into Red Tier of the State's new reopening guidelines on Sunday, March 14 -meaning restaurantsgymschurchesmuseums, and movie theatres may now resume indoor operations at limited capacity. Bars that do not serve meals must remain closed.

Indoor mallsbarbershops and hair salons may also increase indoor capacity under Red Tier, and Middle and High Schools may reopen for in-person hybrid instruction.
Most other retailers can continue operating, as long as they limit how many people are inside at one time.
 
What can now be open?
  • Indoor dining: open at 25 percent capacity
  • Movie theaters: open at 25 percent capacity
  • Museums: open indoors at 25 percent capacity
  • Gyms, yoga studios: open indoors at 10 percent capacity
  • Stores: indoor capacity increases to 50 percent
  • Malls: indoor capacity increases to 50 percent
 
Maximum indoor capacities are dependent on business type and should be referenced in the Reopening Tier Guideline Chart and its corresponding capacity limits.

CLICK HERE to Check the Status of Operations in Your County
Construction on Coast Highway Starts Monday Night

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is scheduled to replace the 100-year-old box culvert under Coast Highway at Main Beach this spring.

Beginning April 1, daytime construction work on the project will begin. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on Coast Highway at Main Beach for the duration of the project. Caltrans crews will be working double shifts as needed to finish by Memorial Day. Adjacent businesses will be open during construction. 

Downtown traffic control will be provided by the City of Laguna Beach and Caltrans 7 days/week to help mitigate traffic impacts due to the long-term lane closures needed to complete the work safely and quickly. 

For questions regarding the project, please contact Caltrans at (657) 328-6000 or email Darcy Birden at darcy.birden@dot.ca.gov.

City of Laguna Beach COVID-19 Business Assistance Services - Update on the PPP for Sole Proprietors/Self Employed
For anyone still applying to the Paycheck Protection Program Round 2 (PPP2), the White House has directed the SBA to allow Sole Proprietors/Self-Employed to calculate their PPP loans using Gross Revenue.
 
What Has Changed?
  1. Originally, Self-Employed could only use Net Profit/Loss (Line 31 of your Schedule C) to calculate owner’s “salary”. This punished entrepreneurs who operated at a loss or a slim margin in 2019.
  2. You can now use your Gross Revenue to calculate the owner's portion of the PPP calculation
  3. This applies to all who file a Schedule C (Form 1040): Sole Proprietors with or without employees, 1099 Independent Contractors, Self-Employed, etc.
How Do I Take Advantage of This?
  1. If you thought you were'nt eligible for PPP because of your Net Profit/Loss, you may be eligible now!
  2. IMPORTANT: Lenders are changing their website applications to these new rules. Check your lender's application daily to see if they have made the change yet. Do not complete and submit your PPP application if they ask for your Line 31. Otherwise you will receive the smaller Net Revenue amount.
  3. Wednesday, March 31st is the deadline for your lender to submit to the SBA. You will want to submit your application several days before then, as lenders have long lines of PPP applicants.
  4. If you are having any difficulty with a lender's application, you may choose another. Click HERE to see a short list of lenders we know do not require you be a preexisting customer to apply (pages 1 & 2).
 
But I Already Received PPP Funds With Only Net Revenue. Can I Expand My Loan?
  1. The SBA has ruled that they will not allow you to expand your PPP loan if you have already received it.
  2.  Several small business and community organizations are voicing their outrage on this SBA ruling. We encourage you to contact your U.S. Representative and your City staff to make them aware of this punishing of businesses who applied early.
 
For your convenience, please click on the following links to access our guide to the PPP2 as well as the three (3) other major COVID-19 relief programs available to you:
  1. SBA Paycheck Protection Program Round 2 (PPP2) – CLOSES MAR. 31
  1. California Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – ONGOING – Unemployment to those not usually eligible for unemployment
  1. SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) – ONGOING – Non-forgivable loan of low interest working capital
  1. CA IBank California Rebuilding Fund (CRF)  ONGOING – Non-forgivable loan of low interest working capital
Four New Rounds of CA Small Business COVID-19 Grant
On February 23rd, Governor Newsom signed into law a comprehensive package providing urgent relief for the small businesses of CA. The package provides an additional $2 billion – a four-fold increase over the $500 million currently being distributed – for grants up to $25,000 for small businesses impacted by the pandemic, and allocates $50 million of this total for non-profit cultural institutions.
 
Please read below for additional information about each round.
 

Round 3 (waitlisted applicants from Rounds 1 and 2): This is a closed funding round; no new applications will be accepted   

Round 4 (non-profit cultural institutions only): Tuesday, March 16th through Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021
  • Eligible applicants: Only non-profit cultural institutions with any revenue size that meet eligibility criteria found at CAReliefGrant.com
  • Eligible grant award: $5,000 - $25,000
 Round 5: Thursday, March 25th through Wednesday, March 31st
  • Eligible applicants: current waitlisted small businesses and non-profits not selected in Rounds 1, 2, or 3 and new applicants that meet eligibility criteria found at CAReliefGrant.com
  • Eligible grant award: $5,000 - $25,000
 Round 6: Date to be announced soon
  • Eligible applicants: current waitlisted small businesses and/or non-profits not selected in Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 and new applicants that meet eligibility criteria found at CAReliefGrant.com
  • Eligible grant award: $5,000 - $25,000
Visit www.CAReliefGrant.com for more eligibility, criteria, and updates.
 
Vendor Registration is now open for the 2021 OC Fair
Applications are being accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, April 2, 2021. By submitting an application you understand it is for consideration only. Space is not guaranteed.

Please click here for more information before entering the application process.

 

Links for more info:

SBA PRIORITIZES SMALL BUSINESSES FOR PPP FUNDING
FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS
Beginning Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 9 am ET, the SBA will establish a 14-day exclusive PPP loan application period for businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees.
 
This will give lenders and community partners more time to work with the smallest businesses to submit their applications, while also ensuring that larger PPP-eligible businesses will still have plenty of time to apply for and receive support before the program expires on March 31, 2021.
 
For more information, visit sba.gov
Wishing you a happy New Year!

I'm writing to you from my desk in the Capitol, where I am pushing hard for urgent action to address major hurdles related to vaccine supply, funding and staffing. I'd like to share a few updates:

PRE-REGISTER TO GET A VACCINE
You can now sign-up for Orange County's official vaccine app. Once you are registered, you will receive updates, be alerted when it's your turn, and be able to make a vaccine appointment. You can learn more about vaccine distribution plans on the County website.  
CLEAN.SAFE.READY. Pledge
We have partnered with the City of Laguna Beach and Visit Laguna Beach as we believe it is extremely important to encourage all Laguna Beach businesses to operate within the State guidelines and follow the appropriate safety protocols. These safety measures not only slow the spread of COVID-19, they also give residents and visitors a renewed confidence to patronize your business.
 
We are calling on YOU to partner with us in our effort to protect our community by taking the CLEAN.SAFE.READY. pledge. This pledge demonstrates your business’ commitment to placing a priority on the health, safety, and well-being of your employees, customers, visitors, and residents. Please use this link to sign the pledge showing your commitment to our community. 
The Laguna Beach Chamber has compiled a useful list of restaurants  and retail shops throughout the city with updated information as we enter our new normal. We encourage you all to support these businesses during this difficult time. 

Think Laguna First also has information about WHY it is so important to Support Local. We will be updating our website daily, so keep checking in for new info!

We encourage business owners to continue emailing us and tagging us on social media with your promotions. We can only promote the information we have, so be sure to let us know what you've got going on!

Instagram: @ThinkLaguna1st
Facebook: Think Laguna First
E-mail: ashley@lagunabeachchamber.org
MEMBER EVENTS
Click Here to Get Your Tickets!
MEMBER OFFERS
Remember, if you don't support your chamber, your chamber cannot support you!
Are you hiring? As a Laguna BeachChamber Member, you have the opportunity to display job postings on our website for our community to search.

Looking for a job? View our postings by clicking here. You can always locate this under the 'Resources' tab on our website.
 
Login to the Member Information Center to post open positions, or email us and we will create the posting for you!
Be sure that you receive important updates and resources as we navigate this pandemic together. Traditional Chamber benefits are adapting as our businesses are pivoting their business models. Our Chamber staff is here to support you, and to help you market your business, as well as network with the Laguna Beach community!

View Member Benefits & Join Today!
THANK YOU TO OUR ANNUAL INVESTORS
Are you a Chamber member and have an event coming up or a special offer to promote? Let us know!

Do you have gorgeous Laguna Beach photos you would like featured in our new weekly "GLIMPSE OF LAGUNA"?

Contact Ashley von Gremp, our Marketing Manager, at ashley@lagunabeachchamber.org to promote your event or offer across our platforms.
Copyright © 2021 Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
357 Glenneyre St, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

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