Who is impacted?

The DSAL Community Kitchen is home to nearly 100 small, tax-paying food businesses — chefs, bakers, caterers, food truck operators, and pop-up entrepreneurs from across the East Bay. This kitchen has been a launchpad for people from all walks of life — immigrants, parents, first-time business owners, and longtime community leaders — many of whom rely on this space as their sole access to licensed commercial kitchen facilities. With affordable rent, cold storage, and a supportive ecosystem, it’s allowed small businesses like mine to grow from a dream into a reality. Without it, dozens of businesses will be displaced overnight, losing not just a kitchen, but their livelihood.

What is at stake?

If the kitchen closes on July 1st, nearly 100 businesses will be left without a legal space to operate. This doesn’t just affect the vendors — it affects their families, their employees, their customers, and the communities they serve. The closure would devastate local food systems, reduce access to culturally relevant meals, and cut off a proven pipeline for economic development in Alameda County. We’re not asking for handouts — we’re asking for a lifeline to continue doing what we do best: serving our community and contributing to the local economy.

Why is now the time to act?

We were given less than two months’ notice that the kitchen would close due to financial deficits and a shift in DSAL’s organizational priorities. With the July 1st deadline rapidly approaching, time is running out. County intervention is needed now — whether through emergency funding, transitioning oversight, or identifying a new operator. The longer this drags on, the harder it will be to recover. Small businesses already operate on thin margins. Losing this space would be catastrophic. Your signature shows the County that this kitchen matters — to the businesses it supports, and to the community it feeds.