May 14, 2020
Community Development Department
Business Update
More Businesses Permitted to Reopen in Ventura County
Early Stage 2, Part 1 , went into effect o n May 8, 2020, to open the following industries with modifications:
• Curbside Retail • Manufacturers • Logistics
Early Stage 2 was expanded on May 13, 2020, to open the following industries with modifications:
• Childcare for those outside of the essential workforce 
• Office-based businesses (when telework is not possible)
• Select services such as car washes, pet grooming and landscape gardening 
• Outdoor museums, and open gallery spaces and other public spaces with modifications

Before opening, businesses must meet county and state health and safety compliance protocols and certify at vcreopen.com .
Read the County of Ventura press release here .
Read the state's industry-specific guidance here .



Read California's Resilience Roadmap Stages here .
Register Your Business at vcreopen.com
Businesses that would like to reopen (or remain open), are required to register at www.vcreopen.com and complete the County of Ventura Business Attestation Form that confirms they have met certain health and safety requirements. 

Businesses that were already permitted to be open and in operation, must review the County requirements and confirm that you have met them by registering your business at www.vcreopen.com by May 18, 2020.
1. Begin by reviewing the guidance published by the State of California here

2. Complete a detailed risk assessment of your business in accordance with the state guidelines

3. Complete a written worksite-specific COVID-19 Prevention Plan and post it at your business (templates available for retail and manufacturing at www.vcreopen.com )

4. Implement the prevention measures identified in your worksite-specific COVID-19 Prevention Plan

5. Designate an on-duty employee responsible for monitoring compliance with your plan

6. Complete the attestation form here
In order to assist your business with opening safely, County and City ambassadors will be making a site visit that focuses on education and support. Businesses do not need to wait for an in-person visit before they open.

Questions? Contact City of Oxnard staff by email at communitydevelopment@oxnard.org, or by phone at (805) 616-6862. Hablamos español.
Paycheck Protection Program Accepting Applications Through June 30
The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is still open. PPP is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. The SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage, interest, or utilities. We encourage all eligible businesses seeking additional capital to apply.

Many lenders were prepared for the second round of funding and are processing loans. The program is available through June 30th.

If you wish to begin preparing your application, you can download a copy of the PPP borrower application form here  (Spanish version here ) to see the information that will be requested from you when you apply with a lender.


Questions? Contact the Economic Development Collaborative here .
Prepare to Reopen
If your business has not yet been permitted to reopen, take the necessary steps to be prepared and aware of compliance measures required for reopening.

The state has announced Industry Guidance for Dine-In Restaurants here , and the checklist here . The reopening of dine-in restaurants is determined on a county-by-county basis as key COVID-19 milestones are met. Ventura County has not met those milestones, and is not r eopening dine-in restaurants at this time, however businesses can review the state's guidance and prepare for compliance.
Some important highlights include:
  • Provide disposable or digitally available menus.
  • Pre-roll utensils in napkins prior to use by customers and store in a clean container.
  • Provide takeout containers as needed and ask customers to pack their own leftovers.
  • Remove dirty linens from dining tables from dining areas in sealed bags.
  • Thoroughly clean each customer dining location after each use.
  • Provide hand sanitizer at guest and employee entrances and contact areas.
  • Implement measures to physically separate workers and customers by at least six feet using measures such as reconfiguring space, installing physical partitions or visual cues (e.g., floor markings, colored tape, or signs to indicate to where workers should stand).
  • Remove tables and chairs from dining areas, use visual cues to show they are unavailable, or install Plexiglas or other physical barriers to separate customers.
Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
If you have lost hours or wages due to the impact of COVID-19, we encourage you to file for Unemployment Insurance (UI).

Additionally, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) has now been extended to all self-employed individuals. Read about turnaround times and payments here . You can file a PUA claim through UI Online, just as you would for regular UI benefits.
No Cost COVID-19 Testing for All Community Members
No cost COVID-19 testing is offered for all community members at two state locations in Ventura County. Please register by calling 1-888-634-1123 or online at www.lhi.care/covidtesting .

Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8am to 8pm. Optum State testing sites are located at:
  • Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, CA 93030
  • Thousand Oaks Library – Newbury Park Branch, 2331 Borchard Road, Newbury Park, CA 91320
Federal, State and Local Relief Packages
Learn about Business Disruption Loans:

Paycheck Protection Program here .
(Lenders are still accepting SBA Paycheck Protection Program applications.)

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 .
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 .
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 .
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 español .