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Huntington Beach offering COVID-19 relief for select small businesses

Main Street in Huntington Beach, pictured during an art show in 2017.
Plenty of small businesses are located on Main Street in Huntington Beach, pictured here during an art show in 2017.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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The city of Huntington Beach has launched the OneHB Business Support Campaign, with the goal of delivering $5,000 grants to qualified small businesses that have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local real estate developer Robert Mayer, Sr., who developed the Waterfront Hilton and the Hyatt Regency Huntington Resort and Spa, has donated $100,000 to help launch the program. To apply for the first round of 20 grants, applicants must own a small business in the Resort District and meet additional eligibility requirements available at www.OneHB.org.

Applications are available at that website, and must be completed and submitted no later than Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. The city plans to evaluate and award all 20 grants before the end of August.

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All eligible applicants must have been negatively and financially impacted by COVID-19, and priority will be given to applicants who have not received any other COVID-19 related financial assistance. The $5,000 grants may be used for payroll, rent or lease payments, utilities, inventory and other approved operational expenses.

If more applications are received than money available, a lottery system will decide who receives the grants.

The $1,000 SafeDineOC grants will cover expenses incurred from March through September and come from federal CARES Act relief funds. The Orange County Business Council will manage the program on behalf of the county.

“We are incredibly grateful that Mr. Mayer is supporting our OneHB community with such a substantial contribution toward the growth of our local economy,” Huntington Beach Mayor Lyn Semeta said in a release. “The city and dedicated supporters such as Robert Mayer, Sr. are committed to working hand-in-hand with our local businesses as they navigate a new economy that has been shaped by COVID-19. We wish to demonstrate that our community backs them 100% and that we are in this together.”

The city will host a webinar on Wednesday at 2 p.m. to provide prospective applicants with information about the program and application process. As new contributions, donations and funding of up to $25,000 are received into the OneHB fund, the city will reopen the application process and invite all qualified small businesses citywide to apply.

Grants will also be funded via direct donations and the sale of OneHB apparel and yard signs.

“The OneHB Business Support Campaign is an excellent example of the tremendous business community we have here in Huntington Beach,” Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Sheik Sattaur said. “We appreciate the many generous donations and commitment from our community to create a program that will benefit those in need during an unprecedented time.”

For more information, visit www.OneHB.org.

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