San Diego City Wire

The supervisor of a San Diego County District commonly known as North County said the COVID-19 relief provisions in the $900 billion stimulus bill signed Dec. 27 by President Donald Trump will help businesses even though there are those that don’t want handouts.

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond told the San Diego Record that anything that will help local business is "great."

“But even better is allowing them to get their livelihoods back,” Desmond, who represents the Fifth Supervisorial District of approximately 630,000 residents, said. “When I talk to the employees and owners of these businesses, they don’t want a handout. They want to be able to go back to work.”

Trump in part said in a statement that he signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, (H.R. 133) that includes the COVID-19 relief package “to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) and return our airline workers back to work.” 

Trump said in the statement that he was aware that several small businesses have closed.

"Many people are back to work, but my job is not done until everyone is back to work,” Trump said in the statement.

San Diego County’s 6.6 % unemployment rate in November was “above the year-ago estimate of 2.9%,” the State of California Employment Development Department said.

“This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 7.9% for California and 6.4% for the nation during the same period,” the department said.

The bill signed by Trump includes “approximately $900 million in emergency contingency funding to help states address spikes in unemployment claims due to the ongoing pandemic,” the National Conference of State Legislatures said. It also includes “$284 billion for a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program,” The National Law Review said. 

The Paycheck Protection Program is a U.S. Small Business Administration loan helping businesses to keep their employees during the coronavirus pandemic, the website of the U.S. Small Business Administration said.

As of Dec. 30, San Diego County had 152,512 total cases of coronavirus with 1,472 deaths, SanDiegoCounty.gov reported.

California is under a stay-at-home order, with exceptions, that includes prohibiting private gatherings and “close sector operations” plus requiring face coverings, COVID19.ca.gov said.

“The latest numbers show these lockdowns are not working. In fact, they’re making it worse by forcing people inside their homes and crushing businesses,” Desmond said.