Eastsider Staff Photo by Monica Rodriguez
Boyle Heights—Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to help small businesses and private nonprofit organizations recover from the massive Boyle Heights warehouse fire in June, officials said Tuesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration approved California’s request for a disaster declaration, making the loans available to eligible businesses and nonprofits affected by the fire.
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“The Boyle Heights community has endured tremendous disruption, and we moved quickly to bring every available resource to bear,” Newsom said in a statement. “These loans will help local businesses and nonprofits meet essential costs, retain workers, and move forward as the community recovers.”
The SBA issued the disaster declaration following an Aug. 10 request from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
“Recovery depends on getting practical assistance to communities as quickly as possible,” Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs said. “Cal OES requested this declaration so affected businesses and nonprofits can access additional support to meet essential costs and continue serving the Boyle Heights community. We will continue working with Los Angeles and our federal partners to connect eligible organizations with the resources they need to recover.”
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Loans are available for up to $2 million, with interest rates as low as 4% for businesses and 3.625% for private nonprofits, and terms of up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue and payments are not due until 12 months after the first loan disbursement. The SBA determines eligibility and sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Cleanup efforts, meanwhile, were continuing at the Lineage Logistics food-storage warehouse following the massive June 17 fire, with the stench of rotting food and pest problems disrupting the surrounding neighborhood, according to reports
Lineage Logistics, the company that runs the cold-storage facility, had not completed the food cleanup by last Friday’s deadline cited by Los Angeles officials, although the company said it did not miss the deadline to complete the work.
Mayor Karen Bass had imposed a 45-day deadline for Lineage to complete the removal of roughly 85 million pounds of rotting food from the warehouse. Bass said Aug. 14 was the end of that 45-day period, and she accused the company of failing to deliver on its promise to meet or beat the deadline.
“Lineage is a multibillion-dollar company with the resources to meet the 45-day deadline I set,” Bass said in a statement last week. “They have indicated that they will not meet it (Aug. 14). Meanwhile, the people of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles continue to live with the consequences. Families are still dealing with horrific odors and the constant uncertainty of when this nightmare will end.”
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