Rules Committee approves amendments to neighborhood anchor business registry and continues ordinance to May 17

The Rules Committee on May 10 approved substantive amendments to Supervisor Connie Chan's ordinance creating a neighborhood anchor business registry and continued the item for further consideration to the committee meeting of May 17.

Supervisor Chan said the registry is intended to identify and prioritize long-standing neighborhood businesses for city grant programs and eviction-defense support, particularly as commercial eviction moratoria were set to expire. Chan proposed amendments to limit prioritized grants and loans to COVID-19 relief and recovery; add cultural districts to nomination areas; require nominees to sign sworn statements about pending complaints, unpaid judgments, or labor-enforcement findings; permit community-based organizations and merchants associations to nominate businesses (with a cap of 10 nominations per organization per year); and require the Office of Small Business to prepare a report identifying relief and eviction-prevention services and to add programs within 30 days of adopting eligibility requirements.

Committee members raised questions about administrative capacity. Director (Office of Small Business) explained that the legacy business registry already carried a nine- to ten-month backlog and that establishing a new ongoing anchor registry will require staffing and budgetary commitments. Supervisor Chan indicated coordination with budget chair Matt Haney to provide resources. The committee approved the amendments by unanimous voice roll call and voted to continue the ordinance, as amended, to May 17 for additional consideration.

The Office of Small Business also confirmed that businesses could self-nominate via petition; the office said it would work to align the program with equity and language-access goals.