Vision in Action

This vision lays out where we want to go, and we put in the hard work to get there.

August 27, 2020

Unemployment dips below 10 percent in SLO County

San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rate continued to tick down in July, dropping below 10 percent for the first time since the onset of COVID-19, according to state labor data released on Aug. 21.

“If you look at it from where we started [with COVID-19], we’re in a better place,” said Jim Dantona, chair of the Central Coast Coalition of Chambers of Commerce, a team of chambers from Paso Robles to Lompoc. “People are getting a little bit more outside and participating in the economy more. … We’re on the right trajectory.”

A chambers-led survey of local businesses in early August captured some of those improvements—while exposing the struggles that’ve come after SLO County joined the state’s COVID-19 watchlist.

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July 22, 2020

SLO Forward Moves Forward

Last night, the SLO City Council placed a sales tax increase on the November ballot, joining Atascadero, Grover Beach, Morro Bay and Paso Robles in asking voters to increase sales tax to 8.75% — the same rate as Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.

Since March — through task force meetings, board and executive discussions, and countless conversations with more than 80 of our volunteer advisors — the Chamber has continued to engage in this discussion, explore the future we envision for this city, and determine what it will take to get there.

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July 13, 2020

Regional survey shows 17% more businesses are open since mid-May

The most promising sign is that 38% of businesses reported being able to open in some fashion, a more than 17 point jump from May. Along similar lines, there was a 9 point increase in ‘fully opened’ businesses a jump from 3% to 12%.

While more than 38% of respondents would describe current conditions for their business as fair, 33% described conditions as good or excellent, more than 15 points up from May’s survey and 4 points from those that described conditions as poor or catastrophic.

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