The City of Brawley is in the heart of the Imperial County, which is located in the s­outh­eastern part of the State of California. It is situated approximately 210 miles southeast of Los Angeles, 126 miles east of San Diego, and 30 miles north of Mexicali, Mexico. Brawley is a general law city incorporated in 1908 and has a Council Manager form of government. The 20­07 population is estimated to be 25,694 as reported by the State Department of Finance.

The city of Brawley has a wide range of business credits, if you have a company in the city, please contact us to see which credits you qualify for.

San Jose is the 3rd largest city in California, and the 10th largest in the US. It is the county seat of Santa Clara County. San Jose is located in Santa Clara Valley, at the southern end of the Bay Area, a region referred to as Silicon Valley. Once a small farming city, San Jose became a magnet for suburban newcomers in new housing developments between the 1960s and 1990s, and is now the largest city in Northern California. The United States Census Bureau population estimates the city’s population for 2007 as 939,899.

Companies located within the City of San Jose Enterprise Zone may be eligible to receive a tax credit for hiring individuals meeting certain qualifications. If you meet any of the following eligibility criteria you may qualify for the Enterprise Zone hiring credit.

If you want to explore the available tax credits you are entitled to, contact us directly for a free consultation.

The City of Taft was recently awarded the Enterprise Zone designation. “California Enterprise Zones give communities a chance to develop their economic potential, improve their quality of life and contribute to the state’s economy. Enterprise Zones are part of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to increase the number of jobs through state and local incentives,” said HCD Director Lynn L. Jacobs. “This is the single most important building block for Taft’s economic growth that the city has had in many, many years,” said Lucille Holt, Taft City Grants Administrator. “Its good news because it is not just for new businesses, but for existing Taft businesses as well.”

Businesses within Enterprise Zones are eligible for substantial tax credits and benefits, for example:
- Firms can earn $37,440 or more in state tax credits for each qualified employee hired.
- Corporations can earn sales tax credits on purchases of $20 million per year of qualified machinery and machinery parts.
- Up-front expensing of certain depreciable property.
- Lenders to Zone businesses may receive a net interest deduction.
- Unused tax credits can be applied to future tax years, stretching out the benefit of the initial investment.
- Enterprise Zone companies can earn preference points on state contracts.
- Up to 100% Net Operating Loss (NOL) carry-forward. NOL may be carried forward 15 years.
As you can see, Kern County and the City of Taft are positioned for an exciting future. We are also working with 4th District Supervisor Ray Watson regarding other plans that will create even more exciting possibilities for the greater Taft area.

The State of California designated a limited number of Enterprise Zones throughout the state to encourage business expansion. For businesses located within an Enterprise Zone, this translates to California tax savings and incentives that can substantially reduce their operating costs. When those incentives are coupled with the additional local incentives, the opportunities and savings are greatly enhanced.

Located in Central California, the Stockton/San Joaquin Enterprise Zone provides business with easy access to all major markets. Interstate 5, State Highway 99, an airport, a nationwide railway system (Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific) and the Port of Stockton (on the Deepwater Channel) provide our Enterprise Zone businesses with direct links to world-wide markets.  In addition to the tax incentives for businesses, the Stockton/San Joaquin Enterprise Zone has readily available and favorably priced properties (improved and unimproved), a semi-skilled and skilled workforce, and a public/private network that is committed to providing companies with a pro-business environment.

The Stockton/San Joaquin Enterprise Zone provides businesses with the following savings:

State Tax Credit Incentives

• Hiring Credit ($31,000+ per new employee over a five-year period)
• Sales & Use Tax Credit (On machinery purchases for manufacturing)
• Business Expense Deduction (Up to $20,000/year on tangible personal property)
• Net Operating Loss Carryover (Up to 100% carryover to future years)
• Net Interest Deduction for Lenders (May result in 3-4% increase on return of investment)

Local Incentives

• Reduced Fees -50% discount on Building Permit, Plan Check, Use Permit and Variance Fees
• Development Coordination
• Early Project Review (ERC) Meetings
• One-Stop Permit Centers
• Fee Deferral Program
• Fee Estimates
• Utility Tax Rebate
• Commercial Property Transfer Tax Rebate Employee

Job Recruitment

• Customized Staff Recruitment services at no charge
• On-the Job Training Programs. Wage reimbursement for hiring & training qualified employees
• Specialized Training Programs tailored to your company’s specific needs

Financing Opportunities

• Small Business Administration (SBA) Financing SBA 504 and 7A – discretionary loan packaging fees are waived or deferred
• San Joaquin County Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Loan packaging fees waived and discounted interest rate
• Stockton’s Façade Improvement Forgivable Loan Program and Downtown Financial Incentive Program

The Orange County Business Council has endorsed State Senator Lou Correa, representing the 34th state Senatorial District, for re-election. Correa is an advocate of the Business Council’s key initiatives to enhance infrastructure investment, increase supply of workforce housing and promote solid education programs to ensure a skilled 21st century workforce.

“We are pleased to endorse Senator Lou Correa for re-election because of his strong record of support for OCBC’s business agenda,” said Lucy Dunn, President and CEO of the Orange County Business Council.

Senator Correa understands the connection between a strong business environment, sustainable infrastructure and jobs creation. He has been supportive of expansion of the 91, a vital link in goods and people movement between the Inland Empire and Orange County, as well as expansion of the 57, and he has been the long-time advocate of the completion of the Santa Ana River project. OCBC applauds the leadership Senator Correa has shown in supporting the comprehensive water package, a critical issue that directly impacts California’s future growth and sustainability, both economically and environmentally.

Throughout his years of service in the Assembly and in the Senate, Correa has championed a number of legislative proposals, balancing the needs of the business community, environment and social equity, working to ensure a high quality of life for both Orange County and the state. Senator Correa introduced legislation that proposed a simple and sensible reform to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that doesn’t diminish its authority, but helps to facilitate the process and he also supported additional housing legislation that helps with home affordability by reducing regulatory red tape that drives up costs. He has co-sponsored Enterprise Zone legislation, rightly seeing that the path to California’s economic recovery starts with giving business effective tools to create jobs and begin to grow again.
State Senator Lou Correa was elected to the 34th Senate District in 2006, representing Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Stanton and Westminster. In 2004, Correa was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, representing central Orange County. Prior to his election to the Board of Supervisors, he served as a State Assembly Member from 1998 to 2004 representing the 69th District.

Local businesses in San Francisco may soon find themselves being able to take advantage of new state tax credits. Many people don’t realize that the San Francisco region is already an Enterprise Zone, however the city is considering applying for an expansion for 2010. One of the main areas that would benefit the most from an Enterprise Zone designation is the old Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, which has re-development plans for new stores, restaurants, etc. to bring life back into the area.

These plans are following up on the 2007 EZ expansion that increased the size of the zone to nearly 6,000 acres throughout the city.

So why did Downey get the new Tesla plant over Long Beach? See below for Gerrie Schipske’s view on the situation. This article was what she posted on her blog:

Gerrie Schipske, councilwoman for Long Beach’s fifth district, has been outspoken in her desire to keep alive the possibility of Tesla Motors locating its plant in Long Beach.

She personally contacted Elon Musk, President of Tesla to ask him what the City of Long Beach was doing to encourage his company to locate there. She also mounted a letter writing campaign called “Long Beach — We Can Do Better Than Downey.”

She used her blog to prod Long Beach officials to actively market the City to get Tesla here. So today upon learning that Tesla has signed a letter of intent with Downey to locate a plant which will manufacture 20,000 electric vehicles and produce 1,000 jobs she issued the following statement:

“The taxpayers of Long Beach deserve a full explanation about who or what killed the deal to bring Tesla to Long Beach. How did we lose this revenue producing opportunity to Downey? Long Beach has so much more to offer to a business than most southern California locations — we have manufacturing space at the Boeing site, nearness to freeways, an airport, a port, railroad, convention center, training programs at our local community college and most importantly a workforce ready and willing to work. We also have an enterprise zone that provides tax credits for employers. And just recently the City announced it won the ‘Most Business Friendly City Award’ in Los Angeles County.

So what went wrong?

Anyone who has worked in corporate America knows how important it is to develop positive relationships in order to do business, which is exactly what the City of Downey did and the City of Long Beach did not do.

Unlike the City of Downey, which marshaled its Mayor and Council to actively court Tesla through calls, letters, ads and personal outreach, Long Beach apparently treated Tesla as a ‘second-class citizen’ according to comments made to me and to the press by Tesla President, Elon Musk. (It would be interesting to examine how much time and effort was really expended by Long Beach officials and staff in recruiting Tesla.)

I would like to congratulate the City of Downey for getting Tesla, and thank them for helping to keep these important types of jobs in the region.”

Here’s a piece from the San Bernardino Sun from a few days ago:

Enterprise zone program succeeding

Patrick J. Morris
Posted: 12/21/2009 08:35:27 PM PST

It is no secret this is one of the most challenging budget years for California. It is understandable that a thorough review of the state’s expenditures is taking place.
One such expenditure under review – the California Enterprise Zone Program – is directly tied to the success of many of our small and medium-sized businesses. The changes in policy being discussed could increase the cost of doing business for many local companies and put jobs at risk.

The San Bernardino Valley Enterprise Zone is our local zone in this program. It is a 42-square-mile region that includes the cities of San Bernardino and Colton plus portions of county property, and contains 4,000 businesses. These businesses are eligible for tax credits and business incentives if they meet certain specifications. These incentives not only serve to attract businesses to locate to the zone, but also allow companies to reduce the cost of doing business. This leads to greater and more stable employment in the enterprise zone.

California’s Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy is reviewing and considering revisions to the California Enterprise Zone Program statewide, and recently completed a series of pubic hearings in the process.

These hearings, held in San Diego and San Jose, were attended by a number of businesses from enterprise zone areas that shared and identified ways the program is helping to stimulate their local economy and keep their businesses stable.

The Assembly Committee heard them and I hope their testimony will be considered.

Some of the feedback received from businesses in the San Bernardino Valley Enterprise Zone also makes a strong case in support of this zone and its impact to help our local employers continue to thrive and employ residents.

It is difficult to argue with evidence of an employer that is not just surviving, but thriving in this difficult economy.

For example, Brithinee Electric, a manufacturer of industrial electric motors, wind generators and custom motor control centers, has utilized the enterprise zone program for nine years, and as a result, has doubled its work force. The tax credits allowed Brithinee Electric to hire local residents, and the savings produced by the tax credits funded additional technical skills training for these new hires.

According to Tom Lund, director of operations for Isolatek International, a leading manufacturer of passive-fire resistive materials for commercial construction, the enterprise zone was an additional incentive to move to San Bernardino in 2007. The company has filed hiring tax credits and will file for sales and use tax credits on equipment purchased, which will increase their savings. Now in the process of hiring an additional 20 employees, the incentives are helping make the company more competitive and employ more people.

These are two examples of how effectively this program is working in our local economy, and there are many more similar stories.

Unfortunately, not all the businesses located in the zone are taking advantage of these incentives. In an economy like this, no company should be leaving money on the table.

Businesses located in the San Bernardino Valley Enterprise Zone may reduce state income tax by more than $35,000 per qualified employee over a five-year period. Another incentive helps enterprise zone businesses by allowing a tax reduction for property and equipment that is purchased and used within the boundaries of the zone. For our small and medium-sized businesses, these incentives can make a difference between profit and loss.

I urge all businesses located in the enterprise zone to take advantage of these incentives that will reduce their business costs. The process is not complicated and more information can be found at www.sbvez.com.

I also encourage legislators considering revisions to the enterprise zone program to avoid removing any incentives that may increase the cost of doing business for our local employers. This program is helping to sustain our struggling businesses and keeping our residents employed during these challenging times.

Patrick J. Morris is mayor of San Bernardino.

Click here for the original article.

Here’s an article from the San Diego Union-Tribune:

Don’t pare enterprise zones
BY DAN DUFRESNE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009 AT MIDNIGHT

The state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analysts’ Office (LAO) just released some staggering figures: our state must address a deficit of $20.7 billion between now and the time the Legislature enacts a 2010‑11 budget. What is perhaps even more frightening is the LAO prediction that California will have a deficit of around $20 billion each year for the next several years.

In the same report, the LAO also states that unemployment is expected to fall slowly as the unemployment rate usually peaks several quarters after a recession ends. “By 2015, unemployment is projected to be down to 7.3 percent – well above the pre-recession level,” the report says.

In the face of this ongoing fiscal crisis, the LAO recommends that lawmakers look for new sources of revenue and consider ending certain tax breaks for businesses.

Most unwisely, this includes the suggestion to reduce or eliminate the Enterprise Zone Program.

The mere suggestion of cutting back California’s only economic development tool when unemployment is not expected to drop for several years does not make any sense. The reality is that California’s economy will not recover on its own. Enterprise zones were created to revitalize distressed communities, entice business development in California and create jobs. The LAO’s own predictions about the state’s continued economic woes only highlight the need for the Enterprise Zone Program now more than ever.

In fact, the program is ultimately revenue generating as it creates more taxpayers – corporate and individual – paying more money back to the state. This is the type of program that will help get our state back on track and has already proven to reduce unemployment and poverty levels.

Other states such as New Jersey, Massachusetts and Oklahoma have embraced economic development in the midst of the recession. For example, the New Jersey Legislature enacted legislation creating a new $3,000 grant for each job created in that state during 2009, as well as another grant to offset 7 percent of new investment in plant and equipment costs. Massachusetts created a package of new programs intended to attract new investment from life sciences companies and Oklahoma is encouraging new higher wage jobs by offering a 6 percent incentive payment on payroll for new jobs that pay 150 percent of a company’s current average wage.

California needs to be able to compete with these and other states. Now is time to bolster our economic development initiatives and encourage participation in the Enterprise Zone Program so we can turn our state’s economy around.

Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., which is headquartered in San Diego, has two locations in the San Diego Regional Enterprise Zone. Epsilon Systems’ National City location employs approximately 90 people and the Otay Mesa facility has 10 employees. Most of Epsilon Systems’ work is focused on offering technical support for government agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security. More than 90 percent of the work performed at Epsilon Systems’ National City and Otay Mesa locations is performed by those in good-paying blue collar jobs, ranging from pipe fitting to welding to general laborer duties.

With a population of just over 60,000 people, National City has been especially impacted by this recession, with a 19.4 percent unemployment rate as of September 2009. Epsilon Systems – a growing company – just hired several people in the last month and a significant portion of them work at the company’s National City facility. Over the past few years, the company has hired a number of Vietnam veterans and recently discharged veterans, providing opportunities for those who often face barriers to employment.

The money that our company has saved by participating in the Enterprise Zone Program has allowed us to offer additional training for employees, hire more people, provide top-notch benefits and expand the National City facility.

While other companies are laying off workers or closing their doors, Epsilon Systems has remained competitive and continues to succeed in California’s depressed economy – and this is due, in part, to the Enterprise Zone Program’s valuable tools for business growth. The Enterprise Zone Program is crucial for businesses and residents not just in the San Diego area, but throughout California. It’s a program that California cannot afford to be without.

Dufresne is director of government relations for Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc.

This past week, for the first time ever, state legistlators received a pay cut. Overall the pay cut removed 18% from the elected officials annual salaries, starting at the end of December.

In addition to the salary cuts, state officials also had 18% of their health and benefits removed as well. Legistlators have received $116,208 to $95,291. Torey Van Oot from the SacBee had this to say about the events, “State records covering more than four decades – from 1967 to present – show that Monday’s pay cut marked the first for elected officials during that span. Legislative pay had climbed from $16,000 in 1967 to $116,208 in December 2007.”