Small Business Majority
First published April 2020
It’s no secret that California has been hard hit by the spread of COVID-19, with a vast 2.7 million applying for unemployment in the past four weeks, and the impacts have been particularly severe on small businesses that have seen their revenues take a nosedive overnight. With the economy on pause, Main Street has been left to cope with how to stay afloat during this unprecedented time. While Congress allocated $350 billion in small business lending in the CARES Act stimulus package last month, these loan programs are already out of funds, and millions of small businesses have been left to wonder if help will ever arrive. New scientific opinion polling reveals additional insight into the dismal state of California small businesses and what we stand to lose if Congress doesn’t act to provide the direct grant relief that small businesses overwhelmingly support.
The poll, conducted by Chesapeake Beach Consulting for Small Business Majority, surveyed California small business owners between April 7 and 10, 2020. The survey sheds light on a shocking rate of business closures, as well as small business owners’ views on proposals that can help ensure they are able to reopen and recover once the crisis is over.