Letter: San Jose Should Help Small Businesses Weather the Economic Impact of COVID-19

The following was addressed to San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and the City Council about the potential economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak on local businesses.

Honorable Mayor and Council Members,

I want to thank you for your leadership in addressing rising issues due to looming economic impacts of COVID-19. I would also like to suggest including offering some kind of support to the affected small business community.

The coronavirus has also taken a toll on our local family-owned small businesses. Many small businesses have noticed a shortage in clientele and in revenue sales since the past few weeks due to ... a fear of crowded spaces and distrust of food and products.

People are not going out. This is causing a detrimental impact on small businesses.

Similarly, due to travel restrictions to and from affected locations, shipping is taking longer than expected on certain items and products, therefore creating a shortage in inventory to our local retail businesses.

Large established corporations have publicly declared that are being impacted due to the coronavirus. Now, let us imagine the small business owners that are left without any source of assistance and must fend for themselves in a time of despair and fear over the spread of the virus.

At this time, I urge you to consider creating some type of support program to assist our small business community which is suffering due to the impact of the coronavirus. Many of our small businesses are operating with limited cash reserves—they often do not have enough funds to cover lost revenue since many live day to day and rely on their daily sales coming in to survive.

Once again, I thank you for your support and your leadership in protecting our residents and our small business community.

Respectfully,

Jesus Flores
President & CEO of the Latino Business Foundation SV

7 Comments

  1. Mr Flores,

    Thank you for your letter, and I agree, small businesses must be protected. I call on the mayor and the city council to honor your request by also paying the rent of all affected by coronavirus tenants until they can get back on your feet. There are likely thousands of small rental property owners that will face the tough choice of evicting sick tenants or foreclosing on the property in which their life savings are tied up in.

    Many of whom share your Latino ancestry.

    I applaud your leadership.

    • Mr Flores,

      Thank you for all the support you gave to the Latino small rental property business owners, and us white ones too, it is such a relief to see the city take such a fair position.

    • You’re always in the comments complaining about social spending. Now it sounds like you favor socialism for landlords.

      • not for landlords, for tenants

        no problem getting a new tenant if the ones we have dont pay thier rent, which the city seems to think is now illegal

        any ways my posts to Mr Flores wete sarcadtic since Mr Flores like to toute his support for latinos, not all small business owners

        but thanks for reading and commenting

  2. > I would also like to suggest including offering some kind of support to the affected small business community.

    I think you’re asking the wrong people for help.

    The City has spent all of its money and is looking for other pockets to pick. The City just got voters to pass a transfer tax.(Measure E) which goes to the general fund, and — surprise — they’ve ALREADY figured out how to spend it.

    If you get a nickel out of the City, there will be mobs lined up behind you. But. it ain’t happening.

    The money flows the other way: from small business to the City.

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