A plethora of different business group are collaborating together to host a small business tax forum which will include discussions on taking advantage of the Enterprise Zone Program.  The different groups include Oakland’s Mayor, Alameda County Small Business Development Center, Northern California Small Business Financial Development Corporation, Black Economic Council, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, East Bay Economic Development Alliance, The Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, African American Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and the Alameda County Bar Association.

 Here is the flyer for the event.

“Salinas, Greenfield and other south Monterey County cities lining up to take action are doing the right thing by approving expansion of the Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone.  By doing so, they are sending a message loudly and clearly that we welcome businesses to set up shop in our communities.”

  Read the article here.

Coachella valley EZ has come up with a simple yet catchy way to advertise its EZ.  They’ve put up road signs alerting businesses that they are “entering” an EZ.  Here’s the article.

The LA Times editorial board actually wrote last week that California’s businesses are not overtaxed.    Some might disagree with that proposition.  Loren Kaye, President of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education brings some pretty convincing facts to prove that California’s businesses are considerably overtaxed and at a disadvantage right out of the gate because of oppressive taxation and poor leadership.

The fundamental problem with the Times article, and much of the left-of-center criticism of California business taxation – is that they posit a world where public policy is a passive pawn in the hands of manipulative corporations, in the words of Controller John Chiang, “A lot of the tax credits are given to larger business…”

No, not “given.” Companies invest in California, buy equipment and buildings, hire workers, are successful in producing and selling their product or service, make a profit – in California – pay taxes, and earn a credit if they have made investments according to the policies underlying the credit. This is an active, dynamic and competitive economy, influenced by state policy and the interest in businesses in investing here.

Read the entire article here.

Colton Mayor Kelly Chastain boasts about how the San Bernardino Enterprise Zone has helped keep businesses and how she plans to attract more businesses. 

Having served the residents of Colton for 14 years, I have seen firsthand how tax incentives and funding programs support businesses. The city of Colton is among the locations in California to be a part of a designated Enterprise Zone. These zones offer employers a series of business and tax incentives to help them offset the high cost of doing business in the state.

Read the full San Bernardino Sun article here.

Mission Foods is taking advantage of the new Valley EZ by opening up a $50 million facility that will produce 400 new jobs.  Read the San Fernando Valley Business Journal article.

A strong editorial urging approval of the West Valley enterprise zone appears in today’s Desert Sun.  Read it here.

John Shaffery Chairman, SCV Chamber of Commerce wrote this spirited op-ed piece in today’s Santa Clarita Vally Signal:

Your article about enterprise zones (“In the zone: A local look at the effectiveness of enterprise zones,” August 8, 2010) made a number of good points, but I think it is important to understand more about the importance of this economic tool for businesses – especially those in the Santa Clarita Valley.

To try and assess if enterprise zones are good or bad is the same as saying we’re not sure if a patient will react to an antidote – if you don’t give them the antidote then you can be assured of one thing: the patient will get sick and die.  California businesses have been sick and on life support for a number of years now. Businesses that want to be in California are trying to find every reason to stay here, and the enterprise zone tax credit program is a tool they can use to make their businesses more economically viable.

Let’s look for a moment at the California Legislative Analyst’s office estimate that enterprise zones cost the state $400 million. The CLA does not discuss the other side of this economic equation to determine the number of potential lost jobs if some companies didn’t have this tax credit available.

What if 50 California companies moved to another state that offered similar or more aggressive tax incentives? If each of those companies employed 10 people, that would mean 500 jobs lost in this state. Over a one-year period that may not seem like a lot. However, if you multiply that number by 10 years, you end up with 5,000 jobs going elsewhere.

The point to remember is that these types of tax incentives not only increase hiring, but they also are an incentive to keep companies from leaving. California has one of the most highly taxed, legislated and regulated business climates in the nation, and we can’t continue to think companies will just stay here because of our good weather and nice beaches.

Enterprise-zone tax credits are a vital part of the SCV’s economic engine as well as in 41 other areas across California. Every business owner and taxpayer should demand Sacramento leave the enterprise-zone tax credits alone.

Brad Frost, Chairman of the Shasta County Economic Development Corporation, wrote an op-ed piece in today’s Redding Searchlight in which he praises the EZ as instrumental in improving economic conditions and creating jobs.  The piece quotes Bob Luddy, President of Captive Air, a large Shasta County employer, who had this to say:

The opening of the Redding facility enabled Captive Aire to provide quick deliveries at lower costs to our Pacific West customers.  In particular, the enterprise zone tax credits were a major consideration when deciding on this location. These tax credits resulted in significant tax savings which will greatly enhance our ability to sustain profits and thus ensure the stability of the California operations for the future.

It’s hard to argue against the hard facts attested to by those in the business community, especially when those opposed to the EZ are either politicians or unions, neither of which have impressive track records in running businesses and creating the jobs that everyone is talking about and that California so desperately needs.

 The full piece can be read here.

This article appeared in this weekend’s Hesperia Star.