On February 23, Governor Newsom signed a law (SB 94) that provides fee relief for license renewals issued by the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Renewal fees for licenses that expire in 2021 or 2022 will be waived. For establishments/salons, that is a savings of $40; for individuals performing services, that is a savings of $50. If you already paid for your fees for 2021, then the fee waiver will apply to your next renewal (so you won't have to pay for your 2023 renewal).

Fee waivers do not apply to initial license application fees, so you will still need to pay for a license if you are just starting up your business.

If you have any questions about these fee waivers, E-mail barbercossmo@dca.ca.gov. You can also view the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology website or Frequently Asked Questions.

The state's COVID-19 relief package also waives renewal fees for various alcoholic beverage licenses. To be eligible for the fee waiver, you must meet both of the following:

If you already paid your 2021 renewal fees, then you can instead apply for a fee waiver to renew your license in 2022.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has published several resources to assist businesses submitting fee waiver requests:

If you have any questions about these fee waivers, E-mail headquarters@abc.ca.gov or call (916) 419-2500.

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Yesterday, we reported that the rules for getting to the red tier (which allows indoor dining, indoor gyms, and other business reopenings in limited capacities) were changing. More specifically, a county's adjusted new COVID-19 case rate for red tier was going to change from 7.0 per 100K population to 10.0 per 100K population. This change would take effect when California had administered 2,000,000 vaccine doses to people in the "Vaccine Equity Quartile." We weren't sure yesterday where California stood in that metric.

Now, officials have said that California has administered approximately 1.9 million doses in those areas and that California will very soon reach the 2 million mark. Thus, if the state's next weekly report shows that Ventura County's adjusted new case rate is below 10, we would move to the red tier. The state publishes its weekly reports on Tuesdays at noon (which is why we provide M-Powered updates on Tuesday afternoons), with the next report coming on March 16. The recent new case rate trend is shown below:

So let's all stay healthy and get to the red tier next week!

If you can't wait for Tuesday's M-Powered newsletter and want to see the Ventura County numbers yourself, start checking covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/ on Tuesday at noon. Check the map approximately halfway down the page and make sure it says that data is updated as of March 16, 2021.

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Tuesday, March 16, 10:30 AM | Register Here

Have you ever struggled to get someone to accept your ideas or buy your product or service? Well, help is finally on the way with this breakthrough webinar! In less than an hour, you will learn how to convince and sell almost anyone.

Wednesday, March 17, 10:30 AM | Register Here

Learn four top strategies that impact your Google ranking, including the importance of having your business show up in local search results and how you can leverage online reviews to attract more customers. We'll also show you ways to use different types of paid ad strategies to get in front of more of your targeted customers. Lastly, we'll touch on using social media to build your brand and create a more personalized experience for your followers.

Friday, March 19, 12:00 PM | Register Here

The Economic Development Collaborative invites you to its ongoing webinar series on alternating Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:00 PM to answer questions about EIDL, PPP, UI, grants, and all currently available COVID-19 related business resources.

Tuesday, March 23, 10:30 AM | Register Here

Have you ever dreamed of owning your own business but don't know where to start? Do you have the passion and work ethic, but need education and guidance? Being a small business owner is exciting, but understanding the lifestyle will clarify if it is right for you. Join us in this informative webinar and learn what it takes to be a successful business owner.