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File Number: 20-627 <br />2020. Approximately 660 San Leandro Businesses applied to the County program. <br />On December 14, 2020, the San Leandro City Council voted to allocate $150,000 in budgeted business <br />incentive funds towards the Alameda County CARES Grant Program. Per the program, the County <br />matched these local funds, with a total of $300,000 in funds distributed as $5,000 grants to 60 San <br />Leandro businesses. An additional 134 businesses were also awarded $5,000 grants from the $5 <br />million county-wide pool. Therefore, about 466 businesses who applied did not receive a grant. <br />Because the number of grants awarded by the County to San Leandro businesses is only a small <br />proportion of the approximately 660 applicants, the City Council directed staff to evaluate the amount of <br />City reserve funds to provide grants to additional businesses in need who were not able to be funded <br />under the County program. The City Council also directed staff to evaluate whether there are additional <br />unmet community needs that were not otherwise addressed by the City and may need immediate <br />assistance from reserve funds. <br />ANALYSIS <br />Following the City Council’s direction on December 14, 2020, City staff evaluated the status of available <br />reserve funds, budget projections, current and expected community and business needs, and overall <br />community assistance provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. <br />Since the onset of the pandemic, City staff have worked continuously to adapt programs and allocate <br />assistance and resources to the most pressing needs in the community. With businesses required to <br />close or reduce operations in order to promote public health and safety, many individuals have lost their <br />jobs or have experienced drastically reduced pay. To bolster the assistance provided to individuals at <br />the federal level, such as expanded unemployment benefits and economic impact payments, the City of <br />San Leandro has provided the following assistance programs during the pandemic. Unless otherwise <br />indicated, the following services/program were funded with General Fund: <br />Housing Assistance: <br />·Local Eviction Moratorium - providing protection from eviction for residential and commercial <br />renters who are not able to pay rent due to COVID-19 related loss in income. <br />·Tenant Assistance - $45,000 <br />o Landlord/Tenant Counseling & Renter Legal Assistance <br />·Emergency Rental Assistance Program - $1.2 million (federal CDBG-Covid-19 stimulus <br />funding) <br />Business Assistance: <br />·San Leandro Small Business Continuity Grant - $250,000 (+$50,000 from East Bay Community <br />Energy) <br />·Alameda County CARES Small Business Grant - $150,000 (+ $150,000 County match) <br />·Limit on Third-Party Food Delivery Fees - fees charged to restaurants by delivery companies <br />capped at 15% <br />·Outdoor Facilities Program - temporarily waived requirements to set up a free and streamlined <br />program for businesses to operate outdoors <br />Human Service Assistance: <br />·Homelessness Emergency Aid Program - $372,000 <br />o Portable showers, case management, hotel vouchers, rental assistance, and free <br />groceries <br />o Referred many homeless to Operation Safer Ground and Operation Comfort resulting in <br />care, immediate and permanent housing for vulnerable individuals experiencing <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 1/14/2021 <br />130