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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Small, nonfarm businesses in 39 California counties and neighboring counties in Nevada and Oregon are now eligible to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
“These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by the drought that began January 14, 2014, in the following primary counties,” said Tanya N. Garfield, acting director of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West.
Primary California counties Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba.
Neighboring California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Los Angeles, Monterey, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara;
Neighboring Nevada counties: Carson City, Douglas and Washoe.
Neighboring Oregon counties: Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lake.
The deadline to apply for these loans is Sep. 23, 2014.
“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster,” Garfield said.
Small, nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private, nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.
“Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 4 percent for businesses and 2.625 percent for private, nonprofit organizations, a maximum term of 30 years, and are available to small businesses and most private, nonprofits without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” Garfield said.
By law, SBA makes EIDLs available when the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. Secretary Tom Vilsack declared this disaster on Jan. 23, 2014.
Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency (FSA) about the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, in drought disasters nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955 or e-mailing
Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call 800-877-8339.
For more information about SBA’s disaster assistance programs, visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster .
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- Written by: Editor
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Thanks to a decision by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA), a pilot program will assist four to six “small acreage” winegrape growers in Lake County with achieving sustainable winegrowing certification for their vineyards.
A workshop for interested winegrape growers is scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Lake County Winegrape Commission office, 3895 Main St.
Growers who would qualify as “small acreage” (10 to 50 acres of vineyards) and who are able and willing to meet the obligations and prerequisites are invited to participate, according to Paul Zellman, education programs director with the commission.
The Feb. 11 workshop is intended to be an orientation for the participants, said Zellman. It will outline the program, how it will run and the deadlines involved.
“It will be a great opportunity to ask questions and to meet the other participating growers,” he said.
The deadline for registration for the orientation meeting is Feb. 4.
To register or to inquire about the program, call Zellman at 707-621-2668 or send him an email at
Additionally, interested growers must complete and submit an application form to CSWA by Feb. 11.
The winegrape commission is providing an application form and a step-by-step checklist for growers who are interested.
In the past, the cost and time commitment of sustainable winegrowing certification process may have kept growers with small operations from participating in the certification program, said Zellman.
“In discussing the issue with the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, we decided to develop a pilot certification project for small growers. The goal is to seek ways to save costs while fulfilling the certification requirements,” he said.
For this pilot program, the Lake County Winegrape Commission will work with the CSWA to cover 75 percent of the cost of certification for qualifying participants.
To qualify, said Zellman, a grower must complete a self-assessment, meet a minimum score for certification prerequisite criteria, complete an action plan for improvement, and, when finished, be audited by an independent auditor.
“We plan to work with the auditor and the growers to minimize audit time for the group,” Zellman added.
The certification process starts with a grower’s decision to certify an entire vineyard or portion of his/her vineyard, according to the step-by-step checklist compiled by CSWA.
The next to steps involve submission of the application form and attendance at the orientation workshop.
Growers will then need to complete or update the Sustainable Winegrowing Program self-assessment, either by accessing the online system, using the hard copy workbook, or with help at the Feb. 11 meeting.
Following completion and submission of the self-assessment, growers will be able to obtain a report comparing their practices with regional and statewide averages. This will assist them with identifying and prioritizing areas where improvements may be made, the CSWA checklist states. Growers can then develop action plans pertaining to their vineyards.
Additional steps toward certification include preparing for an onsite audit, conducting the audit, reviewing the audit report and completing any corrective actions.
Once the requirements are met, the auditor will recommend certification and supply a report to the CSWA who will determine certification status. One complete audit cycle is a three-year program, Zellman noted.
Questions about certification may be directed to CSWA Program Manager Jodi Wilson. Contact her by phone at 415-356-7544 or by email,
For more information about the Lake County Winegrape Commission’s workshops and other events, visit the Commission’s website, www.lakecountywinegrape.org .
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- Written by: Susan Stout
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Board of Equalization Member George Runner will host two telephone town halls for small business owners in February.
The first will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4.
A second will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, for business owners unable to participate on Feb. 4.
The free events, co-hosted by the National Federation of Independent Business, will provide specific information to small business owners on how best to avoid common tax errors.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but everyday owners face challenges with California’s complicated tax laws,” said Runner. “As their elected taxpayer advocate, I want to make sure small business owners can be successful and avoid the pitfalls of California’s tax traps.”
Those wishing to participate may register online at www.boe.ca.gov/townhall or by calling 916-445-3032.
Individuals who preregister will receive a telephone call at the start of the event inviting them to connect to the town halls.
The telephone town halls will inform small business owners about how to protect themselves from common tax traps such as missing records, successor liability, underreporting of tax, and invalid resale certificates.
Information about these issues will help small business owners avoid making potentially costly mistakes.
Elected in November 2010, George Runner represents more than nine million Californians as a member of the State Board of Equalization.
For more information, visit www.boe.ca.gov/Runner .
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WASHINGTON, DC – After a multi-day viral outbreak that infected close to 700 people with a painful stomach illness, the cruise ship “Explorer of the Seas” reached port in New Jersey.
Issues with cruise ships and conditions on them led Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), to propose the Cruise Ship Passenger Bill of Rights, H.R. 3475.
“At times, the cruise industry seems like the Wild West on the high seas,” said Garamendi, who serves as the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.
“Most trips are fine, but when things go wrong, passengers are often left confused, bewildered and at the mercy of cruise lines for any compensation or reimbursement for the untimely and premature termination of their voyage. And that’s just not right. Cruise ship passengers have a right to know in advance whether they are booking passage on the ‘Love Boat’ or on a voyage to despair,” he said.
“As a former insurance commissioner, I know that this industry requires consumer protections that are tough and fair. As ranking member, I will advocate for this latest incident to be examined by the subcommittee,” he said.
Garamendi's proposed Cruise Ship Passenger Bill of Rights includes a provision that requires disclosure of any incidences of outbreaks of illness.
“Everyone buying a ticket for a cruise has the right to know what has happened on that ship and what the obligations of the operator are should things go wrong,” he said.
The full text of the bill can be seen here: http://1.usa.gov/MjaeIZ .
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- Written by: Editor