The road trip continues, and today we are in the Central Valley listening to and learning from California small business owners and leaders as they work to reopen – focused on the health of their employees and customers.

As Isabel Guzman, our Director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate, and host of these conversations frequently says: Main streets define our neighborhoods, small businesses are the touchstones of their communities, the fabric of our collective lives, and the men and women who run them are the soul of our innovative economy.

As we continue our exploration, we are reminded once more that, as Governor Newsom says, we are many parts but one body and that means county variations, regional differences all within one California. While we work to reopen, we must do so in a collaborative and inclusive way. Our individual actions don’t just impact the future of our immediate community members, they impact neighboring communities as well. We won’t succeed unless all regions rise and recover together, we won’t succeed unless all business owners, regardless of race or gender or zip code are considered and included in the conversation.