Anaheim, Harbor Gateway and Santa Clarita Valley, according to California Newswire.  Nothing posted on the HCD site yet.  Here is the link to the California Newswire story.

The League of California Cities urges everyone to contact their local political leaders and educate them as to the benefits and worthiness of the EZ program.  “City officials from communities with Enterprise Zones are encouraged to begin talking to their legislators now about the jobs and economic benefits these zones bring.”  View the Leage of Cities piece.

San Joaquin County’s governmental bodies have rallied behind a proposed expansion of the region’s business-friendly Enterprise Zone, but economic development leaders say a fight to keep the program alive is upcoming.

San Joaquin County Economic Development Director Fran Aguilera adamantly supports the EZ.  ”The zone is the biggest tool we have to attract business, and to keep them here.  It’s ludicrous. If you do something that hurts businesses … you’re hurting employment.”

Read the story here.

California’s New Jobs Credit was originally allocated $400 million to fund the credit.  To date, just over $40 million has been claimed, meaning that just under $360 million remains to be claimed.  The FTB will continue to allow the credit until the last day of the calendar quarter in which the FTB estimates it will have received timely filed original returns claiming the credit that cumulatively total $400 million.  

Track the money here.

Mark Weber, the newly installed manager of the Coachella Valley EZ is interviewed.  Mark echoes what many legislators and businesses have been saying a lot lately, i.e. “the enterprise zone program is one of the only remaining economic development programs left in the state.”  See the video here.

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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.

Mayor Villaraigosa stressed the need for LA to become more business friendly.  Specifically, he said he wants more expansions of LA’s Enterprise Zones.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told members of the business community at the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley and Region’s honorary luncheon that he will continue pushing business-related reforms for the remainder of his term.

At the Mayor’s luncheon Sept. 22, Villaraigosa spoke of the recent steps he and his business team has taken to boost the city’s economic climate.

Those included pushing for the expansion of the city’s California Enterprise Zone in and around the San Fernando Valley, passing an ordinance that cuts taxes for local Internet businesses, passing a business tax holiday, and proposing a local preference ordinance, which would give local businesses more leverage in bids for government contracts.

The full San Fernando Valley Business Journal article can be read here.

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

Harbor Gateway is seeking EZ status to attract business and help create jobs for the unemployed.  “It would be a significant benefit to businesses,” said Bill Johnson, manager of the Los Angeles County Economic Redevelopment Division.

Given the current EZ debates, it is critical to highlight the requirements to become an EZ.  As the article states, “To qualify, the area must have a high unemployment rate and a high volume of low-income residents.”  Enterprise Zones are built around areas of high unemployment and low income residents.  Only those areas can even apply for one of the limited number of EZs.  The subsequent business build up directly benefits the less fortunate.   Union leaders now characterize the EZ program as a tax loophole, even though the EZ program directly benefits the workers the unions claim to defend.

The full article can be read here.