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LOS
ANGELES, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Latino
Restaurant Association (LRA) announced that 23 independently owned
restaurants in the Central Valley will receive grants of
$3,500 each, made possible by a
$100,000 grant from Southern
California Gas Co. (SoCalGas). A check presentation was held
Tuesday with grant recipient Mi
Favorito restaurant in the City of Fowler. The full list of
grant recipients is here: https://latinorestaurantassociation.org/.
Since 2020, SoCalGas has supported the LRA with over $350,000 towards the organization's promotion and
support of Latino restaurateurs and small business owners.
"We are thrilled to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by
awarding 23 grants to deserving restaurants in South Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties. This
initiative not only supports our vibrant culinary community but
also honors the rich cultural heritage that these establishments
represent," said Lilly Rocha, CEO
of the LRA. "By empowering these restaurants, we are preserving
and promoting the diverse flavors and traditions that make our
culture so unique. We are proud to stand with these entrepreneurs
and help them continue to share their passion and heritage through
their delicious food."
The LRA provides resources, advocacy, and networking
opportunities to help Latino-owned restaurants succeed and
grow.
"As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I would like to
acknowledge and thank the Latino Restaurant Association who, with
the generous support of SoCalGas, will award grants to uplift and
celebrate local businesses and honor our cultural heritage," said
California State Sen. Anna
Caballero (D-Merced).
"More than just financial support, these grants are a testament to
the resilience, creativity and hard work of our Latino
restaurateurs. By investing in small businesses, we are preserving
the rich culinary traditions of our community, sharing it with
others, and fostering economic growth and opportunity in the
Central Valley."
"SoCalGas recognizes the vital role small restaurants play in
our communities, especially given the challenges they've faced in
recent years," said Andy
Carrasco, vice president of communications, local government
and community affairs, SoCalGas."In collaboration with the
Latino Restaurant Association, these grants will offer crucial
support, enabling restaurants to invest in purchasing vital
equipment, necessary dining gear, making technology upgrades,
employee benefits, or other needs essential for the receiving
restaurant's success and growth."
Grants will be given to seven restaurants in Fresno, four in Kings and 11 in Tulare counties. The grant application was
announced in July of this year, and eligibility was open to
restaurants with a focus on Latino heritage or who have made
significant contributions to the Latino community.
"We are incredibly grateful to the Latino Restaurant Association
and SoCalGas for this generous $3,500
grant. Their support allows us to continue sharing the rich and
vibrant flavors of Mexican cuisine with our community," said
Mirella Soto, owner of Mi
Favorito Restaurant. "Serving authentic Mexican food is not
just about providing a meal; it's about celebrating our culture,
traditions, and the joy of coming together over a delicious plate.
This grant will help us enhance our kitchen, improve our services,
and bring even more of our beloved dishes to our valued customers.
Thank you, SoCalGas, for helping us keep the spirit of Mexican
cuisine alive and thriving."
To qualify for the 2024 grant, restaurant owners must have met
the following criteria:
- Own up to three restaurant locations
- Generate less than $1 million in
annual revenue per location
- Have been in business for more than three years
- Must be a current SoCalGas customer
- Be a member of the Latino Restaurant Association (Free two-year
memberships were made available to restaurants in South Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties).
Last year, SoCalGas supported the LRA in distributing grants to
35 Los Angeles County restaurants, including 25 Latino-owned and 10
AAPI-owned restaurants. LRA members network with industry
professionals, market their brands, and learn ways to make their
businesses more efficient. The grants are part of SoCalGas' ASPIRE
2045 Sustainability Strategy. SoCalGas plans to invest $50
million over five years into communities the company serves.
SoCalGas aspires to empower communities and help entrepreneurs grow
for success.
About SoCalGas
SoCalGas is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States, serving approximately 21
million consumers across approximately 24,000 square miles of
Central and Southern California.
SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest, and most
innovative energy infrastructure company in America. SoCalGas aims
to deliver affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas
service through its pipelines to help advance California's clean energy transition by
supporting energy system reliability and resiliency and enabling
the integration of renewable resources. SoCalGas is a recognized
leader in its industry and community, as demonstrated by being
named one of Reuters' Top 100 Innovators Leading the Global Energy
Transition and Corporate Member of the Year by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. SoCalGas is a
subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), a leading North American energy
infrastructure company. For more information, visit
newsroom.SoCalGas.com or connect with SoCalGas on social media
@SoCalGas.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about the
future, involve risks and uncertainties, and are not guarantees.
Future results may differ materially from those expressed or
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Factors, among others, that could cause actual results and
events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any
forward-looking statement include: decisions, investigations,
inquiries, regulations, denials or revocations of permits,
consents, approvals or other authorizations, renewals of
franchises, and other actions, including the failure to honor
contracts and commitments, by the (i) California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC), U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Internal Revenue
Service and other regulatory bodies and (ii) U.S. and states,
counties, cities and other jurisdictions therein where we do
business; the success of business development efforts and
construction projects, including risks related to (i) completing
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(ii) realizing anticipated benefits from any of these efforts if
completed, (iii) obtaining third-party consents and approvals and
(iv) third parties honoring their contracts and commitments;
macroeconomic trends or other factors that could change our capital
expenditure plans and their potential impact on rate base or other
growth; litigation, arbitration and other proceedings, and changes
(i) to laws and regulations, including those related to tax and
trade policy and (ii) due to the results of elections;
cybersecurity threats, including by state and state-sponsored
actors, of ransomware or other attacks on our systems or the
systems of third parties with which we conduct business, including
the energy grid or other energy infrastructure; the availability,
uses, sufficiency, and cost of capital resources and our ability to
borrow money on favorable terms and meet our obligations, including
due to (i) actions by credit rating agencies to downgrade our
credit ratings or place those ratings on negative outlook, (ii)
instability in the capital markets, or (iii) rising interest rates
and inflation; the impact on affordability of our customer rates
and our cost of capital and on our ability to pass through higher
costs to customers due to (i) volatility in inflation, interest
rates and commodity prices and (ii) the cost of meeting the demand
for lower carbon and reliable energy in California; the impact of climate policies,
laws, rules, regulations, trends and required disclosures,
including actions to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas,
increased uncertainty in the political or regulatory environment
for California natural gas
distribution companies, the risk of nonrecovery for stranded
assets, and uncertainty related to emerging technologies; weather,
natural disasters, pandemics, accidents, equipment failures,
explosions, terrorism, information system outages or other events,
such as work stoppages, that disrupt our operations, damage our
facilities or systems, cause the release of harmful materials or
fires or subject us to liability for damages, fines and penalties,
some of which may not be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms
or insurance or may impact our ability to obtain satisfactory
levels of affordable insurance; the availability of natural gas and
natural gas storage capacity, including disruptions caused by
failures in the pipeline system or limitations on the withdrawal of
natural gas from storage facilities; and other uncertainties, some
of which are difficult to predict and beyond our
control.
These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the
reports that the company has filed with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports are available through the
EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and
on Sempra's website, www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely
unduly on any forward-looking statements.
Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra
Texas, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC
(Oncor) and Infraestructura Energética Nova, S.A.P.I. de
C.V. (IEnova) are not the same companies as
the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric Company or
Southern California Gas Company, and Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra
Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Texas Utilities,
Oncor and IEnova are not regulated by the CPUC.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
