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Organization: City of Santa Clarita
Date: September 18, 2008
Santa Clarita Names One of L.A.'s Top 5 Most Business Friendly Cities for 2008
Los Angeles Economic Development Commission Recognizes City
The City of Santa Clarita was just named one of the top five most business-friendly cities in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) for 2008. Additionally, the City is a finalist for the prestigious EDDY Award, which will be presented to the top city at a gala awards ceremony and dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 17, 2008. The EDDY Award was introduced in 1996 by the LAEDC to celebrate organizations that demonstrate exceptional contributions to positive economic development in the region. Beginning in 2006, the EDDY's began recognizing cities and Santa Clarita has been one of the top five finalists each and every year since the award was created.
As a business friendly City, Santa Clarita does not assess a business license fee nor does it assess a utility user tax, allowing businesses to save up to five percent or more on their electric, telephone, water, and gas bills. In addition, businesses located within the Santa Clarita Enterprise Zone enjoy state income tax savings that can reduce or virtually eliminate their state income tax altogether. Santa Clarita offers its businesses a highly educated workforce, available land for development, site selection assistance, and expedited plan reviews and permit processing. Additionally, the Newhall area of Santa Clarita has been designated as a Redevelopment Project Area providing opportunities for innovative financing and improvements. All of these factors together provide what many local businesses refer to as "The Santa Clarita Advantage."
The City of Santa Clarita has had a number of economic development successes this year including being honored by the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) with the Grand Prize for the Best Economic Development Program in California for the City's Tourism program; being named by the Los Angeles Business Journal as the Best City for Industrial Development in LA County; and being recognized the California Retail Survey as one of the top 25 retail markets in California ranking higher than Santa Monica, Pasadena, and Beverly Hills.
The City of Santa Clarita Film and Tourism programs represent an industry that has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years and one that finds great success in the City of Santa Clarita. In Fiscal Year 2007/2008, the City of Santa Clarita issued 335 permits for location filming that resulted in an estimated economic impact to local businesses of $18.9 million. This increase in filming is particularly noteworthy considering the writers strike that began in 2007 negatively affecting film production industry wide for several months. In addition to the success of the film and tourism industry in Santa Clarita, the City has become a thriving center for industry clusters such as aerospace manufacturing, bio-medical, and technology.
"We are very honored to be named as one of Los Angeles' top five most business friendly cities for a third straight year. We work diligently to make sure our City's practices help City-based businesses thrive, while providing our residents with a choice to work locally," commented Mayor Bob Kellar.
Information about the many economic development programs offered by the City can be found on the City's main website at santa-clarita.com, or by visiting any one of several direct websites targeted to specific industries including: locatesantaclarita.com; shopcityofsantaclarita.com; scenterprisezone.com; filmsantaclarita.com and visitsantaclarita.com.
