It’s taken a while, however the Santa Clarita Valley region has hired a lobbyist to ensure that the area’s interests are represented well at the capital.

Natalie Everett, from the Signal, reports the following regarding the hire, “Damian Jones has 15 years of experience in the field, including a stint as The Home Depot’s government relations senior manager. His firm, Pacific Strategy Group, represents about 350 clients in 17 offices across the nation. One of the first issues Jones will tackle is securing Santa Clarita’s enterprise zone. A bill is making its way through the state Legislature that would make eligibility for the lucrative tax breaks – up to $37,000 for one employee over five years – harder to get.”

“(We recently) held a forum for existing business owners asking them what were the benefits of doing business in the Santa Clarita Valley, and the No. 1 answer was availability of the enterprise zone,” Jones said. “Real dollars are being saved, it’s improving our economy, and people are trying to … minimize their impact.”

It’s great to see cities from around the state are realizing the importance of the Enterprise Zones and are putting the resources needed behind their plans.