The deadline to apply for Social Equity Program Eligibility Verification is Monday July 29, 2019 at 4 p.m.

The deadline to apply for Social Equity Program Eligibility Verification is Monday, July 29, 2019 at 4 p.m. You must register by this deadline if you want to participate as a Social Equity Applicant in Phase 3 Round 1 of Type 10 Retail licensing, which opens September 3, 2019.

Social Equity Program Eligibility Verification is FREE. You do not have to pay any fees to DCR or to external organizations to apply to be verified.

Thus far, over 1,200 individuals have registered to be verified as Social Equity Applicants. The Department anticipates hundreds of additional applications before Monday. Please be advised that you may not receive notice regarding the status of your application until after the deadline has passed.

We understand that many individuals have been working hard to gather supplemental documents to prove their eligibility as a Social Equity Applicant before the deadline. It is DCR’s priority to work with prospective Social Equity applicants to make the process as inclusive as possible. If, after July 29, DCR determines you have not submitted sufficient documentation to demonstrate you meet the Tier 1 or Tier 2 Social Equity Applicant criteria, DCR will provide a limited window of opportunity to submit additional documentation. However, to be eligible for this opportunity, you MUST submit your verification application by July 29, 2019 by 4 p.m. 

You can review a list of pre-approved documents that DCR will accept as proof of eligibility here. If you do not have all the pre-approved documents, you can submit whatever documents you do have, and DCR will evaluate them and decide whether they are sufficient. Please note, DCR cannot verify you as a Social Equity Applicant if you do not submit any supplemental verification documents or are relying exclusively on declarations or affidavits that are not supported by attached documentation. We encourage applicants to remit as much information to support eligibility by Monday, July 29, 2019. 

The Department is excited for Phase 3, Retail Round 1 to begin on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, and will be hosting at least two technical assistance workshops to advise and prepare potential applicants. Please save the date for the first workshop, which will be held on Tuesday, August 6, 2019 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Details will be posted soon.

To learn more about the Social Equity Program, and to see the most Frequently Asked questions and answers about the Eligibility Verification process, please visit DCR’s Social Equity Program webpage.