Local Chambers Partner With SBA to Help Altadena Fire Victims

The Altadena and Pasadena Chambers of Commerce are teaming up to host a Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan Application Workshop on March 4 to help victims of the Eaton Fire and other Los Angeles fires access financial assistance.

The event, scheduled from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Brookside Golf Club at 1133 North Rosemont Avenue in Pasadena, will provide on-site SBA counselors to assist applicants before the March 10 deadline.

“We are all working together to make sure assistance is available to everyone who is qualified and wants help,” said Judy Matthews, Executive Director of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce. “The deadlines are approaching very quickly and we hope the victims of the Eaton Fire can apply before it is too late to access funds.”

The workshop offers direct support for completing loan applications for those who lost their home, business, nonprofit, or rental apartment. SBA disaster loans include no-interest home loans up to $500,000 for the first year (2.5 percent interest thereafter), business loans up to $2 million at 4 percent interest, and additional “mitigation” funds to fire-proof structures for the future. Loans are portable, meaning funds can be used either for rebuilding or relocating to a new location.

“We encourage everyone impacted by the fire in Altadena to attend. There is information for residents as well as business people who suffered losses as a result of the fire,” said Pasadena Chamber President and CEO Paul Little. “We are working with SBA who will be on site to assist and complete loan applications. There will be assistance for business owners and their employees who may have lost their houses or apartments.”

The Pasadena City College Small Business Development Center will also be on site to offer assistance at the event. Brookside Golf Club has generously provided the space and refreshments for the workshop.

To date, the SBA has approved over 4,200 loans worth $1.1 billion to fire victims, reaching approximately 25 percent of survivors. More than 16,000 homes, businesses, and nonprofits were destroyed in five fires throughout the city. SBA officials hope to reach more survivors before the loan deadline of March 10.

“Please join us for a very special event next Tuesday, March 4, at Brookside Golf Club to help the survivors of the L.A. fires, especially those hurt by the terrible Eaton Fire in Altadena,” the announcement states. “We are partnering with the U.S. Small Business Administration.”

The event is supported by multiple outreach partners, including the Rosemead Chamber of Commerce, South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, and Alhambra Chamber of Commerce.

Free parking is available in the surface lots near the Rose Bowl and on nearby streets, though attendees should take care as on-street parking is timed and enforced.

Incorporated in 1924, the Altadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association is a nonprofit organization that relies upon membership dues and volunteer labor. The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1888 as the Board of Trade, currently serves more than 1250 members.