Governor Newsom Announces Low-Interest Loans Available for Orange County Businesses Impacted by Last Month’s Chemical Incident

SACRAMENTO – As California continues supporting recovery efforts following last month’s chemical incident in Orange County, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced additional economic recovery assistance for eligible small businesses and private nonprofit organizations impacted by the emergency.

The recovery assistance provides access to low-interest working capital financing to help businesses and nonprofit organizations in Garden Grove and surrounding impacted communities overcome disaster-related economic losses. The funding can help cover payroll, rent, utilities, and other operating expenses, helping organizations remain operational while the region continues its locally led recovery.

“Cal OES continues to support the ongoing recovery efforts related to the Orange County chemical incident. These loans are one more way that California is working with our partners to support local business as recovery continues.” – Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs

Securing the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) builds on the actions of Governor Newsom to respond to the Orange County chemical incident, including issuing a state of emergency proclamation, securing a federal emergency declaration, and the deploying 785 state and local first responders and emergency personnel to support public safety, evacuations, traffic management, sheltering operations, environmental monitoring, and community assistance efforts.

As the immediate emergency response transitioned to recovery, Cal OES and CalEPA worked with Orange County officials and federal partners to establish a Recovery Unified Command to coordinate activities and ensure a unified approach to addressing community needs.

Together, these efforts reflect California’s ongoing commitment to supporting the Garden Grove community not only during the emergency itself, but throughout the recovery process as residents, businesses, and local governments move forward.

The SBA declaration for Orange County makes low-interest federal disaster loans available to help businesses and nonprofits recover from economic losses resulting from the incident, between the days of May 21, 2026, to May 29, 2026, regardless of whether they suffered physical damage. The deadline for applying for assistance is March 11, 2027.

Businesses and nonprofit organizations seeking assistance can apply online through the SBA Disaster Assistance program.