April 30, 2020
Community Development Department
Business Update
Dear Business Community,

Last month Governor Newsom outlined the framework for reopening the economy determined by six key indicators , and t his week he outlined the phased reopening plan for California.

While restrictions are slowly being lifted to safely reopen the state's economy, lenders are still accepting SBA Paycheck Protection Program applications and local entities are accepting applications for relief packages. If you have lost hours or wages due to the impact of COVID-19, we encourage you to file for unemployment benefits here . Pandemic Unemployment Assistance has now been extended to all self-employed individuals. Read about turnaround times and payments here .
Governor Newsom Announces 4 Stages to Reopen
This week Governor Newsom laid out a four-stage plan to slowly reopen California's businesses, schools and childcare facilities from the coronavirus shutdown. The State plans to reopen those sectors in four stages.

Stage 1: Safety and Preparedness
This is where the state is now. Staying home and flattening the curve. Building out our testing, PPE, and hospital capacity. Making our essential workplaces as safe as possible and preparing sector-by-sector guidelines for a safe re-opening.

Stage 2: Lower Risk Workplaces
Gradually re-opening some lower risk workplaces with adaptations. This will include: retail (e.g. curbside pickup), manufacturing, offices (when telework not possible), and more public spaces.

Stage 3 Higher Risk Workplaces
Gradually re-opening some higher risk environments with adaptations and limits on size of gatherings. This will include: personal care (hair salons, nail salons, gyms), movie theaters, sports without live audiences, and in-person religious services.

State 4: End of Stay-At-Home Order
Re-opening the highest risk parts of our economy -- once therapeutics have been developed. This will include mass gatherings such as: concerts, convention centers, live audience sports.

Read Governor Newsom's California Resilience Roadmap Stages here .

We will continue to provide updates from the County of Ventura as we move to Stage 2 of the Governor's plan.
Eviction Moratorium Order

Many businesses and community members have been asking about the City's Eviction Moratorium Order. For questions and answers about the moratorium, read the Frequently Asked Questions here ; e n Español aqui or email communitydevelopment@oxnard.org .

C ommercial and residential evictions are suspended in Oxnard during the coronavirus emergency. Read the Order here.
Los desalojos comerciales y residenciales estan suspendendidos en Oxnard durante la emergencia del coronavirus.




Great Plates Delivered: Home meals for seniors
Now accepting applications from Ventura County restaurants
Sign-ups are on a first come, first served basis

Governor Newsom announced the Great Plates Delivered program . Local restaurants will contract to provide meals for adults 65 and older and adults 60-64 who are at high-risk from COVID-19. For additional information about the program, see the FAQ provided by the State of California. The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging will administer this program in Ventura County.

See all of the program information for the Ventura County implementation of the program at VC Emergency here . Submit your application online here .
Federal, State and Local Relief Packages
Learn about the Business Disruption Loans that are available:

Paycheck Protection Program here .
Economic Development Collaborative Disaster Loan Fund here .
Women's Economic Ventures (WEV) Quick Response Loan here .
Jewish Free Loan Association here .
IBank Small Business Disaster Relief here .
Santa Barbara Community Foundation Grants here .
Pivoting Your Business
Navigating your business in times of disaster may require changing how you run your business. Here are some ideas that may help your business get through these difficult times.
  • Have you ever thought about sharing your commercial space?
  • Can you sell merchandise online? Crafts-to-go, online workshops, family meals, dinner kits, custom dye kits with virtual appointments on how to color your hair?
  • Can you offer delivery? Curbside pick-up? Non-traditional businesses, not just restaurants, may want to explore this endeavor.
  • Have you signed-up for someone to mentor you through these challenging times?
Free business assistance is available :

Economic Development Collaborative
805.409.9159 | Visit EDC online here .

Find a SCORE Mentor here .

Women's Economic Ventures
805.456.2342 | Visit WEV online here .
Stay Connected With Your Customers
With the coronavirus rapidly changing the customer experience, it is more important than ever to solidify relationships with your existing customers and utilize all of your communications touchpoints to attract new customers.

Consumers are hungry for connection and want to support small businesses, so make it easy for them by communicating regularly.

Update Your Business Presence Online
  • Have you updated your directory listings and business information on all platforms? Remember to update Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, etc. with the status of your operation and hours.
  • Consider updating images on your website showing the precautions you are taking to help put customers at ease.
  • Educate consumers about how to interact with your company such as limited menu, paying online in advance, and curbside pick-up instructions.
  • Have you updated your voicemail?

Be Engaging and Offer Fresh Content
This crisis is showing how important a website is but if you don't have a website, you're not alone. You may be relying on social media to support your business which makes it all the more important to engage your audience.
  • Experiment with different content and post regularly
  • Offer recipes, DIY/How-To videos, or share insights from your industry
  • Special offers such as donating a percentage of sales to COVID relief efforts or employees, helps to make consumers feel good about their purchase because it is helping others

If you do have a website:
  • Make sure you have a COVID banner; otherwise it may look like your website hasn't been updated
  • Create an FAQ page with pressing questions, or use keywords as an SEO strategy
  • Make sure your site is organized, attractive, highlights benefits of your products, and that the check-out process is intuitive.
For a list of webinars discussing various topics pertaining to
business and COVID-19 visit our webpage here .
Contact Our Staff
Our Economic Development staff is available to assist you.
Contact us by email at communitydevelopment@oxnard.org , or phone at (805) 616-6862. H ablamos español.

The Community Development Department continues to be open remotely for business; visit us online .
Read prior newsletters here .
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information
Questions regarding business compliance? Contact Ventura County COVID-19 Business Compliance by email at CovidCompliance@Ventura.org  or call the compliance hotline at (805) 202-1805 between 8 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday. Se habla espanol.