Alameda County Economic & Civic Development

11/04/2020

Calling all unincorporated Alameda County businesses! Additional funding has been received for the Business Adaptation Grant program. The application process has reopened starting today 11/3/20 and will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis.

Apply Now! - http://www.edenupgrade.org/

Alameda County Economic and Civic Development is excited to announce that eligible businesses located in unincorporated Alameda County can receive a one-time reimbursement grant of up to $5,000 for COVID-19 related business impacts.

For more information on the program and to apply please visit our website, http://www.edenupgrade.org/

10/09/2020

ECD Projects and Programs Update 2020

Alameda County Economic and Civic Development Department (ECD) has been hard at work, check out what we have been up to these last few months plus a sneak peek at what’s to come!

09/29/2020

Mandela Entrepreneurs Program | Mandela Partners

Starting Soon // Sign Up Today!

The Mandela Entrepreneurs Workshop Series serves as the first rung in a ladder to entrepreneurship cultivation. The workshop series targets underserved entrepreneurs looking for ways to start, grow, or expand their businesses, and is provided in partnership with local community groups to ensure place-based connection, support, and accessibility.

https://www.mandelapartners.org/mandela-entrepreneurs
Mandela Partners

The Mandela Entrepreneurs Program supports the launch and growth of community-based businesses by providing foundational business development support services that are culturally relevant and entrepreneur driven.

09/29/2020

Coming this October! - Alameda County Small Business Development Center (ACSBDC) and Economic & Civic Development Department (ECD) are offering their CALED award winning Food Entrepreneurial Training Academy online!
Applications will be accepted until October 16, 2020
Register Today! - https://www.acsbdc.org/calendar

09/21/2020

For the first time ever Alameda County Small Business Development Center (ACSBDC) and Economic & Civic Development Department (ECD) are offering their CALED award winning Food Entrepreneurial Training Academy online!

Applications will be accepted until October 16, 2020

Register Today! - https://www.acsbdc.org/calendar

08/31/2020

Attention Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland, San Lorenzo and Fariview! - Need help growing your small business?

To help us develop programs that will benefit small businesses, especially during these challenging times, we are inviting business owners in Alameda County’s unincorporated areas to participate in a short, 10-minute survey today. To complete the survey, just click on the link below! Please rest assured that all your responses are confidential and will not be shared with any third parties. Thank you for your participation!
www.acgov.org/cda/ecd/2020businesssurvey.htm

08/24/2020

Calling all Ashland & Cherryland Businesses, The application process has reopened starting today (8/24) and closing this Friday (8/28)!

Apply Now! - http://www.edenupgrade.org/

Alameda County Economic and Civic Development is excited to announce that eligible businesses located in unincorporated Alameda County can receive a one-time reimbursement grant of up to $5,000 for COVID-19 related business adaptations, such as interior and exterior reconfigurations including curb-side or storefront pick-up and delivery, partitions, personal protection equipment (PPE), temporary signage, outdoor seating (to encourage social distancing) and other required adaptations. Applications are being accepted from businesses that are open currently and businesses that are currently restricted from opening per the Alameda County Public Health Order.

For more information on the program and to apply please visit our website, http://www.edenupgrade.org/

08/24/2020

Need help growing your small business?

To help us develop programs that will benefit small businesses, especially during these challenging times, we are inviting business owners in Alameda County’s unincorporated areas to participate in a short, 10-minute survey today. To complete the survey, just click on the link below! Please rest assured that all your responses are confidential and will not be shared with any third parties. Thank you for your participation!

www.acgov.org/cda/ecd/2020businesssurvey.htm

08/19/2020

LISC Neighborhood Business Grants

Business Grant Opportunity!

Thanks to extraordinarily generous funding from Lowe's, LISC is inviting small business owners in 15 locations across America to apply for the LISC-Lowe's Neighborhood Business Grants program. The application period is now open!

Application Deadline is August 23rd, 2020.

Thanks to generous funding from Lowe's, small business owners in the Bay Area are invited to apply for the Neighborhood Business Grant program.

08/17/2020

Castro Valley Today

Castro Valley Today

We are so excited to see the Castro Valley Marketplace sign go up today!

Right now they’re making sure all the brackets and mounting pieces are aligned and in place before lifting the about 700-pound sign on the front of the building.

07/31/2020

Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce

#openforbusiness we are out delivering these Open for Business signs today! Let me know if you need one! This is a partnership with Alameda County Economic & Civic Development

07/29/2020

Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce

Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce

07/29/2020

Alameda County Economic and Civic Development is excited to announce that eligible businesses located in unincorporated Alameda County can receive a one-time reimbursement grant of up to $5,000 for COVID-19 related business adaptations, such as interior and exterior reconfigurations including curb-side or storefront pick-up and delivery, partitions, personal protection equipment (PPE), temporary signage, outdoor seating (to encourage social distancing) and other required adaptations. Applications are being accepted from businesses that are open currently and businesses that are currently restricted from opening per the Alameda County Public Health Order. 82 grants will be available and selection will occur through a lottery.

For more information on the program and to apply please visit our website, http://www.edenupgrade.org/

There will also be two opportunities for live web chats with us on Zoom!

Tomorrow July 29, 2020 at 10am
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81150403935#success

Thursday July 30, 2020 at 10am
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82781196087#success

07/23/2020

East Bay's biggest and most ambitious food hall opens with its first 3 vendors

East Bay's biggest and most ambitious food hall opens with its first 3 vendors

A grocery store, butcher shop and bakery are currently open at the new, 39,000-square-foot Castro Valley Marketplace, with much more to come.

07/13/2020

COVID19.CA.GOV

Effective immediately, the State of California is closing some indoor business operations statewide:
➡️Dine-in Restaurants
➡️Wineries and Tasting Rooms
➡️Movie Theaters
➡️Zoos and Museums
➡️Card Rooms
➡️Bars must close ALL operations
Learn more: https://covid19.ca.gov/

Official website for California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response daily updates and resources. Stay home - save lives. Find information and services to help you and help others.

07/10/2020

It’s happening!

"We dig you."

We dig you, and can't wait to meet you all.

And with less than 24 hours until our soft opening it won't be long now.

So we want to take a moment to thank everyone. There are far too many to list here, but huge gratitude goes out to everyone who has helped us in building this new venture at the @castrovalleymarketplace. Thank you to all who have supported, guided, encouraged, challenged, inspired, and shown up for us.

And you.

We want to thank and welcome everyone who has anxiously awaited our arrival, and who will be new to our company. Even if we have yet to meet, we made this thing for you.

Though the pandemic has tempered so much about this opening; we won’t have a celebration for a while, some stock is still in short supply, we need to limit customer counts, and keep our distance, and more. Despite that, it is still a time to welcome and celebrate all the individuals who make up our newest community.

We dig you.

Castro Valley Natural Grocery Soft Opening
Friday, July 10, 9:00 am (Senior/At-Risk 8:00 am)
Castro Valley Marketplace
3295 Castro Valley Blvd.
Castro Valley, CA 94546

#canyoudigit? #seeyoutomorrow #castrovalleynaturalgrocery #onlygoodthings @ Castro Valley, California

06/26/2020

Now LIVE & accepting applications!

Free Temporary Application for outdoor dining, retailing and signage! - Register Today!

www.acgov.org/cda/planning/outdoor.htm

06/24/2020

Happening this Friday - Free Small Business Workshop!

Online - Register Today @ www.acsbdc.org/events/how-negotiate-lease

06/19/2020

Alameda County has now entered into a new stage in the Reopening Plan, now allowing for...

Retail
Outdoor dining
Outdoor museums
Religious & cultural ceremonies
First Amendment
Outdoor fitness

For more information on the most current health order and guidelines | visit: www.acphd.org/2019-ncov/health-officer-orders

05/26/2020

Free Webinar Happening this week! - Register Today!

NEW WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT:

Small Business Credit Repair - Register Today!

Join us for the Small Business COVID-19 Credit Repair Webinar.

We have Bay Area's leading expert on Credit Repair, Restoration, and Debt Settlement. Attorneys, Banks, Real Estate Brokers, seek her out to support their clients.

Learn:
How to Understand Your Credit
How to Fix your Credit
How to Settle Your Debt

https://www.acsbdc.org/events/small-business-covid-19-credit-repair-webinar

05/19/2020

Public Update from Alameda County Public Health Department - Essential, Outdoor, & Additional Businesses in Alameda County.

http://www.acphd.org/media/577606/alameda-county-health-officer-shelter-in-place-order-businesses-english.pdf

05/15/2020

NEW WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT:

Small Business Credit Repair - Register Today!

Join us for the Small Business COVID-19 Credit Repair Webinar.

We have Bay Area's leading expert on Credit Repair, Restoration, and Debt Settlement. Attorneys, Banks, Real Estate Brokers, seek her out to support their clients.

Learn:
How to Understand Your Credit
How to Fix your Credit
How to Settle Your Debt

https://www.acsbdc.org/events/small-business-covid-19-credit-repair-webinar

05/11/2020

Ashland Cherryland Business District Parking Study Survey! Take Today! - www.ashlandcherrylandparking.com

Alameda County Community Development Agency (ACCDA) is developing a parking study for the Ashland and Cherryland Business District along East 14th Street, Lewelling, and Mission Boulevards. We are reaching out to residents, business owners, and other users of the corridor, to identify parking needs and challenges in this community. The results of this survey will help Alameda County address current and future parking needs along these corridors.

05/02/2020

Moving along!

New art on the Marketplace, you say?

For the renowned mosaic artist, Rita Soyfertis, her pieces represent a silent conversation between a space and those who pass through. As we've adjusted to new routines, replacing the tiles of our schedules into new places, Rita thoughtfully arranges colorful tiles into a story created just for our community.

Read more about how she designed these pieces, where her inspiration comes from, and how she's looking at this time through an artist lens here: https://bit.ly/2YoOQe1

#communityart #castrovalleymarketplace #mosaicart

04/30/2020

Updated Order Directing Alameda County to Shelter at Home: See reference to construction and outdoor businesses.

http://www.acphd.org/2019-ncov/shelter-in-place.aspx

04/30/2020

ALAMEDA COUNTY TEMPORARY COMMERCIAL MORATORIUM:

The Moratorium covers all commercial tenants/properties in the unincorporated area. It says that landlords may not evict commercial tenants for not paying rent while the Moratorium is in effect.

It does NOT remove a tenant’s obligation to ultimately pay rent that is due. And it doesn’t disrupt any voluntary payment agreements that landlords and tenants have made or will make.

There are 3 key provisions in the Commercial Eviction Moratorium:

1.Expiration Date: The Moratorium will expire on May 31st, unless the Governor extends the State’s emergency order. In that case, the Moratorium will expire 90 days from the date the Board adopted the ordinance (4/21/2020).

2.Noticing Requirements: If a tenant receives a “Notice of Termination” from a landlord, the tenant must notify the landlord that they have experienced a “Qualifying Loss” and must provide documentation (described below) within 15 business days after the rent is due. That documentation is supporting claims of inability to pay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of documentation include: a statement signed under penalty of perjury that the inability to pay is due to a Covered Reason for Delayed Payment as defined in the Moratorium; documents showing reduced business income; and correspondence by a business owner citing COVID-19 as a basis for reduced business hours or business closure.

Any financial information provided to the landlord shall be held in confidence, and only used for evaluating a tenant’s claim.

3. Repayment Period: Tenants have 90 days after the date the Moratorium expires to pay rent that has not been paid. Also, landlords cannot charge late fees or assess other penalties for unpaid rent.

https://www.acgov.org/cda/redevelop/meetings/Ordinance-CommercialEvictionMoratorium.pdf

04/24/2020

Coming up next week! - April 29th

Alameda County ECD and Alameda County SBDC are offering a Radical Marketing Webinar for Small Businesses.

COVID-19 has changed the world as we once knew it. It has changed for the small business owner, the backbone of our Nation. It is time to get back in the game and learn how to radically market and advertise, your businesses change, for best results in and through a pandemic.

Don't miss this "fighting-back" webinar that will help you make a radical marketing shift needed in your business.

Register Here Today!
https://www.acsbdc.org/events/radical-marketing-advertising-best-results-covid-19-world

04/09/2020

ECD is working hard to gather all of the helpful resources out there for small businesses! Check out our page today for support!

https://www.acgov.org/cda/ecd/covidresources.htm

04/01/2020

COVID-19 FAQ's | Alameda County Public Health Department

A helpful resource for many of our questions!

https://covid-19.acgov.org/index.page

Note: Updates to the FAQs may be issued periodically, with the most recent updates reflected in blue text.To slow and decrease the spread of COVID-19, Alameda County joined Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties and the City of Berkeley in issuing a legal order di...

03/23/2020

Shop Local | Support Local

Help East Bay Small Food Businesses Keep their Doors Open - https://mailchi.mp/mandelapartners/help-east-bay-food-businesses-keep-their-doors-open

The people that make sure our community is fed are hurting. We are sharing ways that YOU can help!

02/27/2020

LAST CHANCE - SURVEY CLOSES FEBRUARY 29th! If you haven't had a chance, now is the time to tell us what you find iconic of Castro Valley!

Survey is live!

www.surveymonkey.com/r/CastroValleySignage

Tell us what you think is iconic to Castro Valley!

02/11/2020

Happening tomorrow! 10am-1pm

A few spots left - Register Now!

www.acsbdc.org/events

02/03/2020

Just one week away! - Sign up today!

The class is free to the public!
www.acsbdc.org

We are happy to announce our first Small Business Workshop of 2020!

Register Today! - www.acsbdc.org/calendar

01/23/2020

We are happy to announce our first Small Business Workshop of 2020!

Register Today! - www.acsbdc.org/calendar

01/16/2020

Castro Valley Matters

Thank you Castro Valley Matters for spreading the word!

What image do you think best represents Castro Valley?

Alameda County Economic & Civic Development is seeking community input about the imagery that will be represented in signs that are meant to be representative of Castro Valley and will be used for wayfinding and at gateways to the community.

'Here's a survey you can complete: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/castrovalleysignage

Results will be shared with the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council to inform a final decision.