(October 17, 2008) Yesterday Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order to waive fees and assist in recovery efforts for businesses and other fire victims in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.
On Monday, the Governor declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to wildfires, and on Wednesday, he declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County.
Resources for Businesses
The Office of Emergency Services has been instructed to establish and support local assistance centers where needed to provide “one-stop” emergency assistance services to those affected by the wildfires in the counties of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura. To find the nearest center, visit the OES website at www.oes.ca.gov.
The executive order also calls on the Franchise Tax Board and the Board of Equalization to consider using their administrative powers where appropriate to provide those individuals and/or businesses impacted by the wildfires with extensions for filing, audits, billing, notices, assessments and relief from subsequent penalties.
The order also suspended the statutory one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance applicants who are unemployed due to the wildfire disaster and will provide these unemployed workers with immediate financial assistance.
Disaster Assistance
Both the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) operate disaster assistance programs.
SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, non-profit organizations to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, inventory and business assets that have been damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster.
Through its Office of Disaster Assistance, the SBA is responsible for providing affordable, timely and accessible financial assistance to homeowners, renters and businesses following a disaster. Financial assistance is available in the form of low-interest, long-term loans.
SBA’s disaster loans are the primary form of federal assistance for the repair and rebuilding of non-farm, private sector disaster losses. For this reason, the disaster loan program is the only form of SBA assistance not limited to small businesses.
To obtain Disaster Loan Program information or to receive a status update on your disaster loan request, call the customer service line at 1-800-659-2955 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (EDT), Monday – Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EDT) Saturday and Sunday, or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
FEMA Assistance
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
To apply for assistance, visit www.fema.gov/assistance/index.shtm.