Dear Community Development Committee of the City of Goleta, The Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber Foundation has established a partnership with the City of Goleta to bring a celebration of heritage to the Majority-Minority community in that region.
Last year, the City of Goleta allocated $10,000 to that partnership. The community of Goleta was fortunate to celebrate a fully traditional event alongside you and the Mexican Consulate, celebrating Mexican Independence Day.
This year, the city of Goleta again chose to allocate the resources. Due to the changes in climate under the new federal administration, the Hispanic Chamber decided to hold back on a large festival. This, because of the emerging fears caused by new Customs Enforcement Practices and the funding was not used.
Today, we ask that you consider relocating the $10,000 toward a project that the Hispanic Chamber has provided advocacy for. We know that the CDC will take a position to find resources to address the emerging need for migrant rights. That is an important diligence for the City of Goleta. Our community and businesses are suffering because community fears have translated into negative economic impacts within our diverse businesses.
We understand that you have some challenges in meeting the needs of the entire community, and do not envy the position all our regional cities are faced with in providing resources to the individuals in the region that need aid because of federal enforcement actions when there are large budget deficits.
Yet, during these times, cities must also not overlook the needs of MajorityMinority owned businesses, as these are also under distress caused by federal regulations. If these businesses continue to be hurt economically they will have to close, causing the gentrification goals of the federal administration to be met.
We ask that you consider our request in allocating the $10,000 that was set aside for the Chamber to be allocated toward a project that will help revitalize Majority-Minority businesses by creating economic opportunities in our protected class district, as you seek to protect the community of migrants as well. We ask that you consider funding the POP Gant project of the Sunday Market. This project will provide sales for the businesses that need it the most right now, and the project needs your help. You have already supported the project with $9,000, but it has cost over $4,000 in coordination expenses to simply complete the application process that the city needs this project to complete. Their insurance alone has a high-ticket item value of over $6,000, this after the expense of hiring a consultant to help navigate that application process. This project stands to deliver support to businesses, if funded appropriately to ensure success with advertising and structure once approved.
Without the extra financial support, the project stands to fail. The project will provide aid to the businesses impacted by the federal government enforcement, as they are also feeling the economic losses of the economy.
We understand that the City of Goleta needs to seek funding to meet the needs of our migrant families. We ask that you also help the Majority-Minority owned businesses impacted by the federal administration as well. Together, we can move past by providing comfort and defeating the gentrifying goals of a federal administration that seeks to hurt our resilient communities and businesses.
We hope that you can consider our request for the reallocation of funds that were set aside for our partnership this year.
Respectfully,
Jacqueline Inda
Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber Foundation President