Moorpark's very own Clear Vision Tattoo was featured yesterday on KCLU, talking to owner and tattoo artist Rick Sutherland about how the pandemic affected his business and the tattoo industry at large. Though now re-opened, Clear Vision Tattoo had been shut down for nine months due to public health measures.

While any business's success will ultimately be driven by good old-fashioned ingenuity and hard work, Sutherland noted that government help save his business, all the way from the City of Moorpark to Washington DC. "The president and federal government really acknowledged small businesses in this country, and I think that just having that awareness from the very beginning really helped us push on through and hang in there. The State of California did the same thing," Sutherland said. "There were grants, there were loan programs for us. Timing on it seemed to be perfect."

Fortunately, business at Clear Vision Tattoo is now thriving again. "It's great to be back. It seems like there were a lot of people waiting to get tattooed and pierced because we're busier than ever. I couldn't be happier. Every day I drive to work, I'm just glowing."

Please join us this Small Business Week and every week in saluting and supporting Moorpark small business owners like Rick!

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Under current rules, a county must record fewer than 2.0 new COVID-19 cases per 100K population for two consecutive weeks to advance to the yellow tier. Tuesday's weekly state report showed that, while COVID-19 new case rates in Ventura County continued to decline, the County is still above the 2.0 mark and will therefore continue to be in the orange tier for at least the next two weeks. Now, the earliest possible timeline to advance to yellow tier is an announcement on May 18, to be effective on May 19. The past month's new case rates are shown below for reference:

State health officials will continue publishing weekly statistics every Tuesday afternoon at covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/. You can also search on the website by business type to see if a business type is currently allowed to open or not in our orange tier (need to select Ventura County).

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Thursday, May 6, 12:00 PM | Register Here

The Economic Development collaborative partners with the Outsmart Disaster campaign to present a timely webinar on practical tips and strategies on disaster preparedness. The hourlong webinar includes an overview of the Outsmart Disaster Resilient Business Challenge and a walkthrough of core concepts on resiliency strategies for your business.

Thursday, May 6, 12:00 PM | Register Here

Take a deep dive into the unique qualities of each generation to understand what they want, get them to buy, and drive revenue for your small business. Hosted by SCORE in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Wednesday, May 12, 12:00 PM | Register Here

Join the Economic Development Collaborative and the SBA's Los Angeles District Office to learn about the Restaurant Revitalization Fund! This free webinar will review program eligibility and what you need to prepare for the application process. SBA representative Alexandria M. Wright, Ph.D. will discuss the program and answer your questions live. You can also meet the EDC's Small Business Development Center advisors that can assist your business for free through one-on-one consulting in finance, operations, strategy, and restaurant management. Register quickly - space is limited!