Carbajal expects more stimulus funds
An agreement on a new round of stimulus funding, including payment to individuals and additional funding for small business, is likely to be reached in mid-September, says U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara.
In a Sept. 2 phone interview with the Business Times, Carbajal said he expects the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reach an agreement on a final number for another relief package; what happens in the Senate will determine the fate of the measure, he said.
In the first two rounds of funding for the federal Paycheck Protection Program, 2,132 small businesses in the tri-county region received a total of $1.12 billion in forgivable loans.
Still, “the small business sector needs more support,” Carbajal said, as the threat rises that more businesses may not be able to reopen in the fall. He said he’s heard from a number of commercial real estate owners that without government support, commercial and residential tenants won’t be able to afford rent, putting property values at risk.
Carbajal also said he’s working with members of the California delegation to push for the relocation of the U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Vandenberg Air Force Base.
“We have two world-class universities to support research,” Carbajal said, referring to Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. He said placing the Space Command headquarters at Vandenberg could benefit the entire state, with the Los Angeles Air Force Base and research centers in the Bay Area within easy reach of the Lompoc area.
Vandenberg officially submitted its candidacy on Sept. 3 to the U.S. Air Force team evaluating possible locations for the permanent headquarters. The Department of Defense plans to make a decision in early 2021.
Carbajal represents California’s 24th District, which includes Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and a sliver of western Ventura County. He is running for re-election in November against Andy Caldwell, a popular conservative commentator and driving force behind COLAB, a business-labor coalition.
