October 2023 Advocacy Updates

Below are things you should know or take action on right now as a local-independent business owner or community leader:

Things you should attend: Charleston County is hosting two informative webinars to educate the community on the Climate Action Plan and receive feedback around the importance of low-carbon scenarios that can impact our lives from an economical, health and environmental perspective. Register here for the October 10 webinar on Zoom. The second webinar will be held in November to review and present what was heard.

Share your experience: The Preservation Society of Charleston recently launched a project to create the City of Charleston’s first Climate Resilience Guidelines for Property Owners. The development of the Guidelines will be a year-long project, and citizen feedback will be a critical component of the process. We encourage residents and property owners to take their survey as they gather input on experiences with climate hazards, such as flooding, extreme heat, and severe weather events. Complete the survey by Friday, November 10.

So why is Amazon being sued? The United States government recently brought an historic lawsuit against Amazon's monopoly power and gatekeeper status in our economy. After years of advocating for policy makers to stand up for small businesses, we applaud this important step. Read our Small Business Rising coalition statement and how it could impact your small business.

Things we love from other places: “Experiments in Community Ownership Taking Charge of Commercial Real Estate” by Nonprofit Quarterly showcases how Los Angeles neighborhoods are protecting the identity of their community’s businesses.