Small Business

Small businesses have always been the beating heart of San Francisco. They provide thousands of San Franciscans with their livelihoods and make up a core part of our culture. Even Harvey Milk first rose to notoriety in San Francisco as a small business owner, owning a camera store on Castro Street.

Every small business owner I know is trying their best but is barely keeping things afloat. Many of the same issues that make it hard for working people to live in San Francisco — high commercial rents, underfunded transit, and a weak social safety net — make it difficult to open and run a small business. Furthermore, the federal government provides massive subsidies to big corporations, but only patchwork assistance to small businesses. I'm running for Congress to rebalance the scales and provide real, meaningful assistance to small businesses.

My plan to support small businesses includes:

• Expanding and streamlining the Small Business Administration loan process to make it easier for small business owners to apply and receive loans.
• Capping credit card swipe fees that eat into small business profits. Fees charged by credit card companies can cost small businesses 2-4% of every transaction, adding up to thousands of dollars a year. These fees disproportionately hurt small businesses while enriching financial corporations. I support legislation to cap or eliminate these fees.
• Encouraging greater integration of residential and commercial spaces to bring down commercial rents and encourage more foot traffic. My national housing plan does just that by incentivizing mixed-use development that creates vibrant neighborhoods where small businesses can thrive.
• Preserving legacy small businesses that anchor our neighborhoods. Too many longtime shops are lost to rent hikes, building sales, and retiring owners with no succession plan. I support federal grants and tax incentives to help these businesses stay open and stay locally owned.