Greetings! One of the top issues for our country and our community is the economy. Here in Santa Clarita, our business community, Chamber of Commerce, and City work in tandem to help businesses through these tough economic times as well as to help position our business community for the future. The City of Santa Clarita has a three-part economic strategy focused on fostering and encouraging responsible economic development opportunities that result in a jobs/housing balance, established through quality employment opportunities for residents; an economic base through increased sales tax generation, and economic wealth by attracting external monies to the local economy. I wanted to share with you the top 10 work programs our City is doing right now that will best position our business community for the future:

1. Jobs/Housing Balance – The foundation of the City economic development strategy is jobs. Our residents need secure employment to be able to pay their bills, and provide a high quality of life for their families. When residents are secure in employment, they are confident retail and restaurant consumers. The City adds jobs to our community through business attraction where we have seen successful in relocating companies this year such as Ronan Engineering and Quest Diagnostics, and through business retention and expansion where we have seen successful with Advanced Bionics and Aerospace Dynamics International.
2. Creating an economic base through increased sales tax generation. The City works with retail centers to attract the restaurants and stores that our residents want so that we can stop retail spending leakage and support shopping locally. Locally generated sales tax provides a direct barometer of the health of the local economy. By increasing these dollars, the City is continually able to invest in the community.
3. Creating economic wealth through industries like tourism and film. These monies make our community richer, bringing new dollars in, as opposed to re-circulating the same dollars. Location filming generates more than $20 million annually in direct spending to local businesses.
4. The City funds a $1.5 million dollar Economic Development Division with 14 staff designed to attract, retain, and support the City’s targeted business industries, including: Film, Tourism, Aerospace, Biomedical, and Technology, as well as emerging businesses and industry sectors.
5. The City of Santa Clarita’s 21-Point Business Plan for Progress includes a budget of more than $18 million in City and federally-secured stimulus funds, which are being invested in all facets of Santa Clarita, creating immediate jobs while providing long-term benefits to our community.
6. After being named the Most Business Friendly City in LA, Santa Clarita implemented more changes to make it easier to do business in Santa Clarita. This included streamlining the permit process for businesses, creation of a new Permit Center, the introduction of e-plans for electronic plan submission, and deferring of some permit-related fees to encourage business growth.
7. The Santa Clarita Enterprise Zone. The City applied for and secured this program in 2007, recognizing the significant economic benefits it would mean to the business community. To date, Santa Clarita businesses have realized a potential savings of more than $40 million dollars, which they can re-invest in their business.
8. The City continues to focus its efforts on sports tourism and successfully attracted the 2009 Western States Police & Fire Games, which organizers estimate brought more than $8 million to the local economy. The City continues to solicit these types of events, which results in a positive economic impact to local businesses and increased sales tax generation.
9. The City’s Film Incentive Program, part of the 21-Point Business Plan for Progress, has further cemented our reputation as the Most Film Friendly community in the 30-mile zone. Santa Clarita experienced a 40 percent increase in location film days from television production from July through December 2009 when compared to the same time period in 2008. This represents an increase in economic impact to the local economy of $2.6 million.
10. Branding Santa Clarita. The City continually promotes Santa Clarita as the business destination in Southern California through advertising campaigns with radio, print, airport, and cable television in the greater LA market, as well as targeted advertising in film, BioMedical, and business trade magazines and conferences.