Imperial County task force signs on to letter to governor

Community and business leaders urge Newsom to reopen

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - A number of Imperial County cities, chambers of commerce, and local agencies have signed on to a letter asking Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) to let the county open more businesses.

The Imperial County Board of Supervisors recently asked Gov. Newsom to allow them to move the Valley into "Expanded Stage 2." That would let the board determine when it believes it's safe to reopen businesses.

Now the Imperial Valley Business Recovery Task Force has written Newsom a letter supporting that request. It reads in part:

“Imperial County is a unique border community, and our geographic location makes it extremely difficult to meet current reopening guidelines... Not only does Imperial County border Mexicali, Mexico, a Baja California city of more than 1 million residents, but we also border the state of Arizona -- a state that has opened up all businesses.”

Letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom from Imperial Valley Business Recovery Task Force

Read the letter in its entirety here

The letter goes on to encourage the governor to allow the county to make its own decisions about re-opening based on its unique knowledge of the people it represents.

More than a dozen cities, chambers, and agencies signed off on the letter including:

• The City of Calipatria
• The City of Brawley
• The City of El Centro
• The City of Imperial
• The City of Holtville
• The City of Calexico
• Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce
• Brawley Chamber of Commerce
• El Centro Chamber of Commerce
• Imperial Chamber of Commerce
• Imperial County Farm Bureau
• Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation
• Imperial County Workforce Development Board
• Small Business Development Center