The City Council this week approved a proposal to distribute $77,000 in grant money to 22 local businesses. According to a staff report, the money will be targeted at businesses that were hit hardest by the governor’s recently canceled regional lockdown order: restaurants, hair and nail salons, and gyms.
Staff expects businesses to get the money in March.
“For example, hair and nail salons were allowed to conditionally reopen last September after being instructed to close for a period of time only to once again be ordered to close early last month with the latest State Order,” Johnson wrote in the report.
This was a consent calendar item.
Consent items are voted on collectively unless pulled for separate consideration. The vote was unanimous.
“The County of Orange Board of Supervisors recently allocated additional small business assistance funding, of which Seal Beach received $77,000,” according to Johnson’s report.
The grants would amount to $3,500 per business, allowing the city to issue grants to 22 businesses, according to Johnson.
“If the number of qualifying applications received exceeds the funds available, a lottery system will be used to randomly select and rank the applications,” Johnson wrote.
“Should the Program be approved by City Council during the January 25, 2021 meeting, it is anticipated that funding will be awarded in early March, 2021,” Johnson wrote.
