Home tour goes virtual

The La Mesa Historical Society’s popular annual home tour event will be held as a virtual event this year due to precautions over the coronavirus pandemic.

The 15th annual Home Tour will be held on Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to noon on the Historical Society’s Facebook page. The event, which normally highlights local homes with interesting historical or architectural features, will this year feature highlights from the tour’s 14 previous years and will be narrated byLa Mesa resident and local historian James Newland.

The program will include a brief history of the La Mesa Historical Society’s Home Tour heritage, including a look back at each year’s tour homes along with presentations featuring previous tour homeowners, including updates on the homes today, along with real time Q&A sessions.

The free event is sponsored by EDCO and real estate broker Tracey Stotz.

Community meeting on youth issues

The City of La Mesa Community Relations and Veterans Commission along with the Youth Advisory Commission have scheduled a round table discussion event titled “Livable La Mesa: Youth in the Age of COVID-19,” to take place on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. The goal of the 90 minute virtual event is to foster a dialog on how changes due to COVID-19 have affected the everyday lives of families. Panelists from the La Mesa Spring Valley School District and the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency will be on hand to provide tips and tools.

Families are invited to share their experiences on topics such as coping with distance learning, social isolation, returning to the classroom, and how recent health policies have impacted your daily lives.

The event is free to watch on Zoom at zoom.us/j/93872688513 or listen by phone by calling 669-900-6833 webinar ID: 938 7268 8513.

For more information or to submit questions or topics for the panel discussion contact Meg Howell at [email protected] by noon on Oct. 28.

Simpler PPP forgiveness for loans under $50,000

The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, today released a simpler loan forgiveness application for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $50,000 or less. This action streamlines the PPP forgiveness process to provide financial and administrative relief to America’s smallest businesses while also ensuring sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

“The Paycheck Protection Program has been an overwhelming success and served as a historic lifeline to America’s hurting small businesses and tens of millions of workers. The new form introduced today demonstrates our relentless commitment to using every tool in our toolbelt to help small businesses and the banks that have participated in this program,” said Administrator Jovita Carranza. “We are continuing to ensure that small businesses are supported as they recover.”

SBA and Treasury have also eased the burden on PPP lenders, allowing lenders to process forgiveness applications more swiftly.

SBA began approving PPP forgiveness applications and remitting forgiveness payments to PPP lenders for PPP borrowers on Oct. 2, 2020. SBA will continue to process all PPP forgiveness applications in an expeditious manner.

View the application at bit.ly/2GPbXba. View instructions at bit.ly/34Nmz2t.

ADDITION RENTAL ASSISTANCE FUNDS

In an effort to further assist renters during the coronavirus pandemic, Home Start will be accepting a second round of applications for the La Mesa Rental Assistance Program starting Monday, Nov. 2 at 8 a.m. through Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. Beginning on Nov. 2, applications can be completed online at home-start.org/city-of-la-mesa-rental-assistance/ or submitted at the office of Home Start located at 333 E. Main Street in El Cajon.

Applicants may qualify for one to three months of assistance for past due rent for a maximum amount of $5,000. Assistance may cover past due balances for rent beginning no earlier than March 1, 2020.

For additional requirements and information about the program, potential applicants should contact Home Start via email at [email protected] or call 619-405.7058.