Santa Barbara County has issued their RISE (Reopening in Safe Environment) Guide as county guidance in addition to guidance issued by the State. On August 28th, the State of California switched to a tiered framework for monitoring COVID-19 cases & reopening businesses, monitored by county.

On March 17th, Santa Barbara County moved into the less restrictive Red Tier of the State's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy" plan. Details from the County Public Health Department on business operations allowed in the Red Tier can be found here. A full overview of business operations allowed in each tier can be found here. Additional details on what is open in your county can be found using the State's website here.

• Ready to reopen? Here is the step by step process for reopening in Santa Barbara County, as well as the self-attestation form to fill out: English 
   
• Information on statewide reopening, and where the state is at in the reopening process: English  Spanish
   
• Wondering what the guidelines are for your business to safely reopen? Industry-specific guidance set by the state: English
   
• To support implementation of the roadmap for phased reopening, a localized supplemental guide has been produced for Santa Barbara County: English
   
• The latest updates from the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, including local health orders outlining which sectors of business can reopen, can be found here: English
   

• The Santa Barbara County Chambers of Commerce held a Business Briefing: Update on New Statewide COVID-19 Tiers and Business Openings Webinar on Wednesday, September 2nd. The webinar featured Nancy Anderson - Assistant County Executive Officer, County of Santa Barbara. Nancy provided a business briefing on the updated statewide COVID-19 tiers and what this means for businesses and reopening. Click here to view the webinar.

All businesses who are eligible to reopen (and those currently open) must follow the reopening process outlined by Santa Barbara County, which can be found HERE.

Here are some additional resources:

• The Sate of California has released reopening guidelines by industry: English  Spanish
   
• The State of California has released an "Employer Playbook" to assist with a safe reopening: English
   
• The City of Santa Maria is offering a number of reopening allowances/modifications, including expanding outdoor seating areas:    English  Spanish
   
• The County of Santa Barbara is offering a No-Fee Encroachment Permit for Unincorporated areas to expand their outdoor seating areas:  English  Spanish
   
• The CDC offers a number of resources on how to keep employees and customers safe including ongoing mitigation strategies, worker safety and support resources, and more: English   Spanish
   
• Cal/OSHA has a Guide to the New Cal/OSHA Emergency COVID-19 Regulations available. English
   
• Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health has released guidance on how to prepare for and respond to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in the workplace. English
   
• If an employee does test positive for COVID-19, the Santa Barbara County Health Department has provided guidance on home isolation and quarantine for the infected individuals, as well as quarantine information for their close contacts, family and caregivers. English
   
• The Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health has resources on keeping the workplace safe and clean, social distancing signs, workplace readiness checklists and more: English
   
• The State of California has launched their "Wear a Mask" Campaign and has a number of resources available:
  • Face Coverings Explained: English
  • Mandatory Face Covering Notice: Bilingual
  • Signage - "Face Covering Required Prior to Entry": English  Spanish
     
• Interim business operation guidance by industry (OSHA) English  Spanish
   
• HR Guidelines for COVID-19 and the ADA, Rehabilitation Act and other EEO Laws
   
• Here is a list of locally sourced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suppliers, including face masks, hand sanitizer and other items:  English  Spanish
   
• Employment FAQ's (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)  English    Spanish
   
• Charity Governance During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Santa Maria Valley Chamber is offering a variety of resources to our members to help promote our local business community:

• Sign our "Safe and Open" Pledge so we can share with the community (Disponible en español aquí.)
   
• Participate in our #SMVOpenForBusiness campaign
  
• Encourage the community to wear a mask through the "Protect & Respect" Campaign
   
• Submit articles, press releases and any other updates to Chamber News

Local Assistance:

• Santa Barbara Better Together Fund: Small Business Grants for Santa Maria & Orcutt

State Assistance:

• State Tax Deferrals
• $100 Million Main Street Hiring Tax Program
• California Rebuilding Fund
• Small Business COVID-19 Business Relief Grant
  • Additional Grant Program Information

Federal Loans:

• Santa Maria Lenders providing SBA Loan Assistance
• SBA Guidance for Businesses & Employers to respond to COVID-19  English   Spanish
• SBA Disaster Loan Assistance & Online Disaster Loan application
• SBA Fact Sheet - Economic Injury Disaster Loans
• Paycheck Protection Program FAQ's
• PPP Loan Forgiveness Guide (SBA & U.S Treasury)
  • PPP Loan Forgiveness tool
• Insurance Coverage during Civil Unrest

Additional Financial Aid:

• Employee Retention Tax Credit (US Chamber)
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (California EDD) English Spanish
• Financial Resources for 501(c)6 Organizations (US Chamber)

Additional Resources:

• EDC Business Development Loan Fund (Economic Development Collaborative)
• FedEx #SupportSmall Grants
• Federal Funding Preparation Guide (Economic Development Collaborative)
• Economic Recovery Assistance (Santa Barbara County)
• Corporate Aid Tracker
• Resources for companies facing working capital and international payment issues (US Exim Bank)
• Tips for dealing with Financial Insecurity (CoastHills)
• Mixteco / Proyecto de organización comunitaria de Indigena (MICOP)

• Santa Barbara County - Businesses Hiring Now
• Career Connect Powered By Jobspeaker

Businesses can post job availability on Santa Barbara County's Economic Recovery Page by emailing COVIDbiz@countyofsb.org and include the following information:

• Your company name,
• how to apply (if online or in person, please include your website and/or physical address),
• and if possible, the type(s) of jobs

Allan Hancock College also has an online employer resource where you can post jobs on their job board.

If you are a Chamber member you can add your job postings on our Chamber website through your member login account. Any questions, email info@santamaria.com.

• Connect businesses with essential information and assistance to enable them to weather the immediate disruption until an eventual reopening
• Maintain and encourage as much economic activity as possible within constraints of public health and business process disruption

• Support protocols that allow for localized re-openings where conditions meet specified criteria
• Provide clarity to businesses about rules/conditions for reopening and operating, including allowed options, continuing restrictions, etc.
• Support businesses in their re-opening process and communication

• Ensure businesses are aware of, and have access to, non-traditional forms of capital and financial support (e.g. grants, stimulus, etc.)
• Expand access to training and technical support
• Facilitate local economic activity (b2b, b2c, public investment, etc.)
• Identify and advocate for public policy and procedural changes to facilitate business activity
• Support businesses in re-hiring and/or replacing workers who do not return to work
• Support businesses in their redesign of business processes, product offerings, customer interfaces, etc.

• Ensure community participates in, and benefits from, regional efforts to identify new opportunities to expand economy and/or mitigate areas of weakness
• Develop and implement long-term economic growth strategies
• Address pre-existing constraints (e.g. housing, higher education, collaboratives, etc.)
• Support long-term business resiliency strategies
• Capitalize, and build on, increased community support/collaboration evidenced during crisis