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While there’s still no date in sight for new federal stimulus, California is offering aid to small businesses in the form of tax deferments on sales tax and $500 million in grants. Also this morning: LASD stonewalls in the Guardado inquest, Pfizer ships vaccine doses to California, and Whittier officials want out from L.A. Public Health. Finally, another former City Hall official ensnared in corruption charges.
Morning News Brief
Yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new state aid programs for small businesses. Businesses that generate less than $1 million in sales will receive an automatic three-month extension for payment of sales tax, plus a credit of up to $1,000 for every qualifying worker kept on the payroll. A separate program will create a pool of $500 million for relief grants, capped at $25,000 per grant. These grants are designed for small and micro-sized businesses and nonprofits. [gov.ca]
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Yesterday, the inquest into the death of Andrés Guardado, an 18-year-old man shot and killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy in June, began. Four LASD officials — including both deputies involved in the shooting -— refused to testify, instead invoking their 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. [L.A. Times]
327,000 doses of Pfizer’s new COVID-19 vaccine are headed to California and should arrive sometime later this month. The doses will be administered first to frontline healthcare workers as part of a four-phase deployment plan. Each vaccination requires two doses, meaning this batch would provide enough to administer to 163,500 individuals. [LA Mag]
Upset with the restrictions against outdoor dining, officials in the City of Whittier are considering a break with the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. Councilwoman Jessica Martinez said in a meeting last week that she was interested in “exploring the possibility of having our own health department or in joining forces with other cities.” Pasadena, which is managed by its own city health department, chose to sustain outdoor dining as the rest of the county shut it down. [Whittier Daily News]
Only a few years ago, exporting recyclables was a profitable venture for Los Angeles. But a ban on sales to China along with complications from the pandemic now means the city is on track to spend $20 million to get rid of its recyclable waste. [LA Mag]
Raymond Chan, a deputy mayor who was a lead advisor on economic development for Eric Garcetti from 2016-2017, has been charged with conspiracy, bribery, fraud, and lying to FBI agents in the ongoing federal probe into corruption at City Hall that previously entangled disgraced former Councilman Jose Huizar. [L.A. Times.]
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