Small businesses in Santa Clara County that followed COVID-19 pandemic restrictions will soon be eligible for a grant program funded by fines from businesses that broke the rules.
Since the pandemic began, Santa Clara County has issued 674 fines for businesses that were caught breaking health orders after repeated warnings.
In total, the county has issued $5.7 million in fines, but has collected much less.
“People are appealing, so we don’t know what other dollars will be collected,” said Board of Supervisors President Mike Wasserman. “But, I believe at the Tuesday board meeting, it was about $400,000 that we had collected in fines over the last year or so.”
He said that pool of money will now be the basis of a grant program for small, local businesses that can show economic losses due to the pandemic.
“I’m sure it’ll go to smaller businesses,” Wasserman told KCBS Radio. “I’m sure it won’t go to the businesses that paid the fines. It’ll go out to other businesses that followed the rules.”
The details of that program and how businesses can apply for it will be brought back to the board for a vote next month.
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