Deadline extended for small business relief funds

Small businesses and nonprofits now have some extra time to apply for $500 million in State of California COVID-19 relief funds. The San Diego & Imperial Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and The San Diego Foundation have partnered to make sure those funds get into the hands of those who have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interested entities can apply at CaReliefgrant.com. They have until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, January 13, 2021.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced in December $500 million in grant funds for small businesses and nonprofits. This is not a first come first serve grant. All applications will start to be reviewed following the closure of the application period. These grants are to cover business expenses and specifically for small businesses hit by the pandemic.

“Our team of over 100 business advisors provided over 20,000 hours of one-on-one assistance in 2020 helping small business owners access disaster assistance and get through the pandemic,” said Daniel Fitzgerald, Regional Director, San Diego & Imperial SBDC Network. “With the new state and federal programs, our team will be ready and available to help small businesses who continue to need our help.”

The Federal Government’s new stimulus package, that includes new and renewed assistance for small business owners and non-profits, including:

Additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), allowing businesses who did not receive a loan to apply and receive a loan equal to 2.5 times their monthly payroll.

Options for businesses who have had at least a 25% drop in revenue to apply for a second PPP loan. Certain industries hardest hit, such as restaurants and hospitality, can receive up to 3.5 times their monthly payroll.

$15 billion for grants for live venues that have been shuttered, including theaters and museums.

An extension of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, including a renewal for the up to $10,000 grant program for businesses that did not previously receive the funding.

Availability of PPP loans for nonprofit 501 (c)(6) organizations.

“The new state and federal funding measures are an opportunity to bolster the nonprofit sector as it continues to provide much-needed relief for San Diegans impacted by COVID-19,” shared Mark Stuart, President & CEO of The San Diego Foundation. “We will educate and inform San Diego nonprofits about the SBDC services and training available to them to assist in application development so we can bring federal and state funds home to San Diego to help our community.”

Local nurseries partnering with Kate Sessions Commitment to plant trees

Local nonprofit Kate Sessions Commitment is partnering with Walter Andersen Nursery, City Farmers Nursery and Mission Hills Nursery to offer new, affordable 5-gallon trees for a perfect, pandemic-safe winter activity.

Delia Juncal, Director of Tree Nursery Partnerships said, “Growing or gifting of trees demonstrates hope for the future, and planting a tree is such a positive way to start the new year.”

Kate Sessions Commitment is an active network of arborists, gardeners, community advocates, climate activists, local businesses, and neighbors across San Diego. Its mission is to advocate and take action for the equitable advancement of a San Diego County tree canopy to benefit community health, well-being, climate, and economic opportunities.

Explained Team Leader and Urban Forester, Anne Fege, PhD., “Planting and caring for a tree is an act of creating a better future and leaving a legacy for future generations. And it’s something that can be done safely, outside in the fresh air, either alone or with family.”

The Kate Sessions Commitment program offers high-quality nursery trees that are relatively easy to grow in San Diego. Certified arborists have been working with local nurseries and have reserved ornamental, native trees, and fruit trees to receive the Kate Sessions Commitment logo as an indication of meeting quality standards.

Participants can choose from over 20 varieties of trees including natives and fruit trees, hand-selected for optimal growth and sustainability in the local climate. View the full list of trees on the pre-order page at www.katestrees.org.

Kate Sessions Commitment chose to launch this program now, as winter is the ideal time to plant new trees. They chose 5-gallon trees because that is the ideal size for an individual or family to plant without the need for tree delivery or other assistance, keeping people safer during the pandemic.

They also specified healthy young trees that have roots that can continue to stretch and grow.

The price range for the trees is $25 to $60, making it affordable for any neighborhood in San Diego, or as a viable donation or gift.

Trees offer many benefits: They create shade to cool our neighborhoods and reduce energy costs. They improve our air and water quality. They encourage people to get outside for fresh air and recreation, explained Fege.

How to get the trees: The 5-gallon trees are now available at Walter Andersen Nursery at 3642 Enterprise, San Diego 92110; City Farmer’s Nursery, 3110 Euclid Ave. 92105 and Mission Hills Nursery, 1525 Fort Stockton Dr. 92103. Trees may also be ordered for delivery to Walter Andersen Nursery at the Kate Sessions Commitment website, www.katestrees.org.

Civic Community Partners and Norwood Development form middle-income housing fund

Civic Community Partners and Norwood Development Strategies announced the formation of a San Diego housing investment fund to increase the production of housing in San Diego County that is affordable to middle-income families.

To launch the fund, Civic has contributed $400,000 through the Middlemarch Fund which has in turn made its first investment in Secoya on Fifth.

“Secoya” is an upcoming eight-story, 100-unit mixed-income housing development in the heart of Bankers Hill, steps from Balboa Park. According to developer Russ Murfey of Murfey Company, “we acquired the best site we could find near Downtown’s employment base along transit and designed a mixed-income housing development that intentionally mixes a broad spectrum of household income levels under the same roof. We are breaking ground today (Monday), and the project should be complete in 2022.”

The goal of the Middlemarch Fund is to raise $100 million from employers, foundations, and social impact investors to invest in a number of similar projects located throughout the county. Civic and Norwood are actively working to identify qualified projects to receive this type of investment.

For more information on funding and the qualification requirements, contact Michael Lengyel at [email protected].

American Society Of Landscape Architects announces new San Diego chapter president

The American Society of Landscape Architects, San Diego Chapter, announces a new president for 2021, Christopher Stebbins with KTUA Planning and Landscape Architecture, San Diego.

Stebbins is a specialist in urban design, environmental planning, and landscape design as well as a veteran geographer. He is passionate about the advocacy, establishment, planning, and optimal design of urban public spaces such as plazas and promenades.

Said Stebbins, “Throughout my relatively fresh practice as a landscape architect focused on urban design, I naturally seek out opportunities from challenging circumstances. As incoming 2021 President for the San Diego chapter of ASLA, this occasion is no different.”

Stebbins’ academic and professional interest is to establish urban public spaces that enhance the social, civic, and economic needs of a community. His research includes a methodology for evaluating the social effectiveness of existing urban plazas as well as creating socially vibrant new ones. His research has been accessed over a hundred times by academics and practitioners worldwide, and has provided presentations on this work internationally.

Stebbins has dual masters degrees in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and Design from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Science in Geography and Anthropology from UC Santa Barbara.

Throughout his life he has identified himself as someone who puts the interests of the public and the natural world before himself. “It’s my version of making the world a better place.”

Currently living in Bankers’ Hill, Stebbins grew up in Clairemont and North County before living throughout other parts of California, the country and the world, returning to San Diego in August of 2018.

The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional organization, founded in 1899, representing landscape architects in private, public, and academic practice. The local chapter was formed in 1976 to serve both the profession and the public on local issues dealing with the practice of landscape architecture.

The mission of ASLA is to lead, educate and participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments.

San Diego Community College District’s annual economic impact $4.1 billion

The San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) annually generates $4.1 billion in economic activity, according to the latest report from a labor market analytics firm that lauds the SDCCD for playing a pivotal role in reducing economic inequities.

According to Idaho-based Emsi, the $4.1 billion generated by the SDCCD is enough to support nearly 42,000 jobs, or 1 out of every 52 jobs in the region.

Among other highlights of the report:

98 percent of SDCCD students remain in the region after graduation and their impact alone amounted to $3.5 billion in added income in fiscal year 2019-20.

Students will see a return of $6.20 in higher future earnings for every $1 they invest in their education.

For every dollar of public money invested in the SDCCD, taxpayers will receive $1.40 in return over the course of students’ working lives.