The Orange County Board of Supervisors will distribute $10 million through a small business economic support program that aims to help local enterprises survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds will come from county reserves, and will be split equally among the county’s five supervisorial districts.
Each supervisor will use the funds to support small businesses in conjunction with a $75 million Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act small business program approved by the board in June.
The board unanimously voted to implement the new program, which was proposed by Vice Chairman Andrew Do, during its Dec. 15 meeting.
“We are nine months into the pandemic, and small business owners don’t know how much longer they can remain open,” Do said in a statement.
“It is imperative that we help bring real and meaningful assistance to help keep our small businesses open.”
The supervisors are working with Orange County CEO Frank Kim to determine how the grants will be allocated. The process involves defining a “small business.”
When Orange County received CARES Act funding, each district determined what would classify as a small business. Do’s district opened up the previous grant program to nonprofits.
Small businesses receiving support from the previous grant are not guaranteed qualification for the new grant.
Details of the business grant program will be announced by each individual county district, and are expected in the following days.
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