Mayor Karen Bass Thursday signed a new executive directive making it easier to open, operate and grow restaurants in the city.
The directive aims to reduce costs and streamlines permits with the creation of a self-certification program for Al Fresco dining. It also directs in-person office hours at City BusinessSource Centers and city departments to establish funding for a restaurant grant program.
“When our restaurants succeed, our neighborhoods succeed. They create jobs, support families and bring people together,” Bass said in a statement. “Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy.”
According to the Mayor’s Office, the directive calls for the following changes:
— Simply outdoor dining requirements via a proposed Al Fresco self-certification program that would allow eligible restaurants to certify compliance;
— Make permitting easier to navigate by establishing regular, multilingual, in-person office hours at City BusinessSource Centers;
— Help restaurants manage costs by identifying potential funding for a restaurant grant program that could help businesses cover rent, payroll, utilities, operating expenses and permit fees. City departments would also explore installment payments, deferrals and potential relief for sewer facility fees;
— Reduce delays and disruptions by making previously approved outdoor dining plans available as templates with consent from the original business owner and improve coordination between street paving projects and restaurants with outdoor dining areas;
— Create more opportunities for local businesses by reviewing zoning and alcohol-permitting rules that can make it harder for restaurants to grow; and
— Connect residents to restaurant jobs.