County Berated on Business License Process

The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) wants to make getting a business license in Castro Valley a simple, streamlined process and at their Monday night meeting, they took the County to task for the complicated exercise it has become for small-business owners.

About 15 people apply for business licenses daily, explained Elvia Quiroga, Chief Deputy Tax Collector, whose department oversees the process.

This includes traditional brick-and-mortar businesses, handymen and contractors doing specific projects, and home-based businesses like Etsy and eBay sellers.

Quiroga said that prospective business owners can expect a three-day turnaround on their application.

But MAC Chair Ken Carbone said the reality is that the process often takes much longer than that, which is “extremely frustrating” to Castro Valley residents looking to do business.

“The community is just dying,” said Carbone. “Projects and construction are being delayed for weeks and months.”

Craig Semmelmeyer, the developer behind the Castro Valley Marketplace, said that the pop-up businesses on that property have experienced a lot of complications dealing with getting a license from the county.

“We have lost income from pop-up tenants,” said Semmelmeyer, who described the business license situation as a “nightmare.”

A drawn-out process also tempts people into evading it all together. Subcontractors will often do a gig without pulling the proper papers, for example, which is even more frustrating for people who are trying to do so about the process correctly.

“A lot of these businesses want to try to do the right thing and they can’t,” said Carbone. “How much money have you cost this community by putting up these hurdles. We shouldn’t be putting people through this.”

Quiroga said that business hasn’t been lost and that her office does its best to work with an extremely small three-member staff.

“We work with the public and we help them open their businesses and establish them,” said Quiroga.

MAC member Chuck Moore said that other neighboring cities have a better process, and the county needs to try to emulate them.

“Let’s look at what we are doing and see if we can’t make it better,” said Moore.

Quiroga asked for the MAC’s support in moving forward to change things fundamentally at the county level and Carbone promised to follow up.

“Let’s craft a way to make this work for our community because it’s really important,” said Carbone.

Fate of the Nike Missile Site Buildings

Also at Monday’s meeting, the MAC heard an update on the proposed demolition of two buildings on the Nike Missile Site at Lake Chabot.

There has been a debate as to whether the building should be razed or possibly be preserved as an important historic site. There were a dozen Nike missile sites built in the Bay Area during the Cold War and the Castro Valley location has been vacant since the mid-1970s.

The dilapidated buildings contain some lead and asbestos and attract curious hikers, which may be unsafe, the county cautioned.

Conversely, it could cost as much to demolish and clean up the site as it would to revamp and preserve it, county officials said.  Last year, the county’s Parks, Recreation, and Historical Commission voted unanimously to try to preserve the site.

The MAC also voted unanimously to try to preserve the site by nominating it to the county historic register. The matter will move on to the Board of Supervisors.

Finally, the MAC heard an update on the ongoing “wayfinding” signage project in the Eden Area. Some signs have already been installed around town- notably the Redwood Road/ I-580 overpass mural and signs on the Boulevard.

As construction funds are identified, more signs will be installed, according to Kristin Perrault of the County’s Economic and Civic Development Department.

Several 7-foot-tall signs pointing the way to popular locations such as freeway entrances, the library, the medical district, and Lake Chabot are planned in Castro Valley.

The proposed locations are Strobridge and Stanton avenues, Redwood Road and Castro Valley Boulevard, Crow Canyon Road and I-580, Crow Canyon Road and Greenridge Road, redwood Road and Norbridge Avenue, Redwood and I-580, and Foothill Boulevard and Mattox Road.