Mayoral hopefuls speak out
School board races take shape PAGE 5
PAGE 24
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS.................................3 Meet town government candidates Tuesday.
COMMUNITY......... 16 Gilbert group “rising” to network TV challenge.
BUSINESS................. 19 Gilbert couple’s invention bottling success.
COMMUNITY....................................... 16 BUSINESS............................................. 19 OPINION.....................................24 PUZZLE.......................................28 CLASSIFIED..........................................28
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Feds poured millions into Gilbert to save jobs BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
O
ver 3,800 churches, charter schools, restaurants, retailers, builders and even a golf course operator in Gilbert got low-interest, forgivable loans totaling between $384 million and $610 million from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program to stay afloat during the initial months of COVID-19’s economic meltdown. Data released last week by the Small Business Administration shed some light on what Gilbert businesses and other entities
received from among the 4.9 million PPP loans totaling $521.5 billion that the agency so far has approved nationwide to help save jobs. The PPP loan funds – described by the SBA as “a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll” – are part of the $2 trillion pandemic relief package approved by Congress in March that also included other assistance to individuals, businesses and local and state governments. The loans comprised the largest portion of the multi-aid effort, accounting for $670 billion, or 26 percent, of the total package. About $120 billion has not been spent and
the deadline for applying for the money has been extended to Aug. 8. Arizona’s share of the PPP money totaled between 6.5 billion and $12.5 billion. The reason that estimate is so broad involves weeks of pressure by Congressional Democrats and government watchdogs for the SBA to release more data on how it was using billions in taxpayer dollars. The data that the SBA released last week sought to strike what Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called an “appropriate balance of providing the American people with
see LOANS page 6
Pandemic reinventing town services, jobs
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
T
hese days Gilbert’s building inspectors for the most part are doing their jobs faster, cheaper and, most importantly, safer for themselves and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Development Services Department last fall launched virtual building inspections as a pilot program but the pandemic has fast-tracked that tool to the forefront. “When COVID-19 hit, I said we need to expand this immediately,” said Larry Taylor, plan review and inspection manager. “I told my inspectors that anywhere where there are people living in a home, additions or
Gilbert building inspector Tyler Sessions can do some of his inspections right from his home or office. (Town of Gilbert)
remodels, they have to be virtual and not to go into their homes. The owners don’t want us there and we don’t want to be there.” As of July 8, there were 2,499 positive COVID-19 cases reported for Gilbert ZIP codes – a 44 percent increase over the previous week and more than a 209 percent jump since the beginning of June. Town Council mandated mandatory face masks for a 30-day pe-
see INNOVATION page 10