WASHINGTON
Thompson votes to provide additional financial relief to restaurants
Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) voted to pass the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act and provide tens of billions of additional dollars to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Rep. Thompson voted for the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 which established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) and provided funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted restaurants across the country, and one of my top priorities was delivering financial relief to keep doors open and employees on payroll,” said Thompson. “The Restaurant Revitalization Fund provided aid directly to restaurants but quickly ran out because the need was so great. I am proud to be pushing for replenishing this vital fund, and I implore my Senate colleagues to expeditiously take up this legislation to send this relief directly to our hardest-hit businesses.”
This bill provides $42 billion to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund – allowing the Small Business Administration to process the remaining requests and award much needed grants to establishments still struggling as a result of the pandemic.
H.R. 3807 also provides $13 billion to establish the Hard Hit Industries Award Program – an SBA initiative to assist small businesses from across industries that were hardest hit by the pandemic and lost revenue but were not eligible for other grants or awards. Businesses eligible for these grants would have 200 or fewer employees and have experienced 40 percent or more in lost revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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LAKE COUNTY
Lake County Air Quality Management District Hearing Board Public Member position open
The Lake County Air Quality Management District is seeking applicants to fill the public member position on the District’s Hearing Board.
The hearing board meets infrequently and sits to consider permit condition variances, abatement orders, and permit appeals. Hearings are formal and judicial in nature.
Applications may be obtained from the Lake County Air Quality Management District Hearing Board Clerk at 2617 S. Main Street, Lakeport, CA 95453, or call (707) 263-7000 for more information. Resume submittals are encouraged. Submittals must be received by Friday, May 6, 2022 for consideration.
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SACRAMENTO
Gun violence debate escalates
As new details emerge about Sacramento’s Sunday morning massacre that left six dead and 12 wounded — police said Wednesday that the shooting involved at least five gunmen and appeared to be gang-related — Democratic and Republican officials continue to propose different methods for tamping down gun violence. Today, GOP assemblymembers are set to join law enforcement officers and crime victim advocates to call for “the restoration of gang and gun enhancements, higher penalties for felons in possession of firearms” and an end to “California’s early release policy that puts criminals back on the street after serving just a fraction of their sentence.”
- The three men arrested so far in connection with the shooting were all charged with possessing a firearm despite being prohibited from having one, and one suspect — Smiley Martin — in February won early release from a 10-year prison sentence for domestic violence and assault with great bodily injury.
- Sacramento County District Attorney and attorney general candidate Anne Marie Schubert, whose office vehemently opposed Martin’s early release, noted Wednesday that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration will next week hold a public hearing on proposed regulations that could result in the early release of thousands of violent offenders.
Meanwhile, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg joined Democratic lawmakers and social justice advocates Tuesday to urge the Newsom administration to funnel $3 billion into violence prevention programs, including grants to help connect former inmates to jobs and housing. Steinberg also said the city plans to use $8.1 million in federal funding on safety measures including improved lighting and youth outreach workers.
- State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, a Los Angeles Democrat: “Over-reliance on incarceration only worsens the conditions that create violence and does nothing to actually prevent crime in the first place. We know what works, and we know what doesn’t work to protect our communities from harm.”
—Emily Hoeven, CALMatters
LAKE COUNTY
April is Stress Awareness Month
Stress Awareness Month has been recognized since 1992 as a national, cooperative effort to inform people about the dangers of stress, successful coping strategies, and harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our society. Stress can be debilitating. It can cause and aggravate mental health concerns. Many report needing greater emotional support, of late, due to rising gas, grocery and energy costs and global uncertainty: https://www.apa.org/topics/stress
Building coping strategies into our norms and routines can help each of us address this silent scourge:
- Practice meditation. Learning how to “train your attention” is one of the most effective ways to deal with stress head on (https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation). And it so happens, meditation is one of the most popular ways to achieve peace and quiet.
- Exercise. Exercise is another way to battle the debilitating effects of stress. Be sure to get out and breathe our beautiful Lake County air by walking, jogging, bicycling or any other physical activity you can enjoy outdoors. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4013452/)
- Avoid drugs and alcohol. Stress can increase vulnerability to addiction. Drug and alcohol use can also reduce resiliency to future stressors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2732004/
- Visit your doctor. Your physician is truly the best and most objective person to help you get started on the path to stress reduction and more effective management.
For more information, please contact Lake County Behavioral Health Services at 707-994-7090 or 707-274-9101 or visit https://medlineplus.gov/stress.html or https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/health-conditions/heart-health/manage-stress.
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