Fresno Metro Black Chamber backs Schools-Communities First initiative on fall ballot

The Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to advancing the interests of the greater African-American community through the creation of opportunities, advocacy, and business & economic mobility. This period of unprecedented business and school closures, sky-high unemployment, and deep financial distress has exposed the inequities baked into our systems and added to the crises that communities of color already faced. The time is now to patch the holes we can, and for many, rebuild where we must. That is why we have endorsed the Schools & Communities First initiative.

The Schools & Communities First initiative, a November ballot measure with a historic 1.7 million signatures of support, would provide our local communities and schools with vital support and investments by closing corporate property tax loopholes and fairly assess commercial and industrial properties worth more than $3 million. What’s more, the initiative would implement new tax relief and exemptions for small businesses while protecting all agriculture and residential property.

Small businesses, especially those in black and other communities of color, are at the front-lines of this pandemic and have had the hardest time accessing the help they desperately need and stand to lose the most. Many of whom have never been able to get equitable financing from banks, often relying on their personal finances and community support to open their doors. In turn, they hire from their communities, pay their fair share of taxes, and give back with their time and talents.

Some of the top industries for black-owned businesses, by number of firms, include occupations that are directly combating the virus or are most impacted by the country’s social distancing measures. The Brookings Institute found that 29% of black-owned businesses are in the health care and social assistance professions, 10% are in administrative, support, waste management, and remediation services, and 8% are in retail trade. These industries produce a significant amount of revenue for black-owned businesses and black communities but place them at the front-line fight against the COVID-19 and the center of the virus’s economic fallout.

Decades of disinvestment in communities throughout California — especially those in black and other communities of color — have left critical local services, such as emergency responders and public health workers, and schools, underfunded. When a crisis like this hits, it leaves us all that much more exposed and should move us towards action.

As we consider the future, we know that reopening our schools will be just as, if not more, important as reopening Main Street. We know that for our businesses to thrive, we must have a work force that is properly prepared, highly skilled, and diverse. That’s only possible with schools that are equipped to educate, nurture, and prepare our children to be that workforce.

Schools & Communities First would reclaim $12 billion every year for our local communities to support and invest in the schools and critical local services that we all rely on. What’s more, it prioritizes the needs of small businesses by protecting those whose property is worth $3 million or less. The initiative also provides new tax relief by eliminating the business personal property tax — taxes on things such as equipment, supplies, machinery, desks and chairs, computers and servers, and more — for small businesses.

Furthermore, research conducted by USC showed that only 6% of commercial and industrial properties in the state have enjoyed an overwhelming 78% of the benefits. That means small businesses, who make up the majority of our state’s economy, largely aren’t benefiting from the current system, and our communities certainly aren’t benefiting when resources can’t go to local services.

Now more than ever, it is up to us to make sure that our critical local services, schools, and small businesses have the support they need to thrive. In November, we can meet that goal and pass the Schools & Communities First initiative.