Latino Restaurant Association Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by Awarding 23 Grants to Small Central Valley Restaurants with Donation from SoCalGas

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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.  

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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 construction projects or other transactions on schedule and budget, (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. 

SOURCE Southern California Gas Company