Assemblyman Louis Alejo, who has been a big supporter of the EZ program over the last few years, has introduced a new bill, AB 484, to address the operation of expiring zones.   Assemblyman Alejo’s district includes Watsonville which is set to expire.  HCD has indicated that it will not be renewing expiring zones or designating new ones for now.  Alejo’s bill seeks to extend the expiring zones until new zones are designated.

From the Sacramento Bee:

Gov. Jerry Brown will release his budget today at 2:30 p.m. after his administration mistakenly posted the document on the Department of Finance website.
The projected budget deficit is $9.2 billion through June 2013, according to sources who have seen the document.
The Democratic governor was scheduled to release the budget on Tuesday and dismissed reporters’ questions this morning about his plan, saying he wanted to be sure the media would show up for next week’s release.
The budget announcement will be streamed online live at his website.

Let the games begin.  Speaker Perez spoke out about the redevelopment case and what it means to Enterprise Zones.

“A second look will also no doubt be taken at the issue of local economic development in the wake of the California Supreme Court ruling that abolishes more than 400 local redevelopment agencies next month. Speaker Perez dismissed any notion that actual RDAs will be recreated by the Legislature; instead, he emphasized the need for ways to promote job creation and economic stimulus that doesn’t favor one region over another. And he suggested that the scrapping of RDAs could reignite his the effort of many Democrats to revise the state’s enterprise zone program.”

Read the full article.

Tala Enterprise, a clothing maker that idled its denim line in China to bring its production back to the United States, officially opened a new knitwear manufacturing plant in the Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone.

“Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez noted that the plant’s opening in the Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone comes at a critical time when California has frequently been labeled as unfriendly to business.

The very existence of this new business illustrates the importance of the state’s enterprise zones, which provide companies extra benefits to open, the Coachella Democrat said.”

Read the full article.

The 2011 Heroes Act expands the WOTC to include:

• Employers that hire veterans who have been looking for employment for more than six months may be eligible for a Returning Heroes Tax Credit of up to $5,600 per employee; employers that hire veterans who have been looking for employment for less than six months may be eligible for a credit of up to $2,400 per employee.
• Employers that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for employment for more than six months may be eligible for a Wounded Warriors Tax Credit of up to $9,600 per employee.

 The credits apply to individuals who begin work after November 21, 2011 and on or before December 31, 2012. Keep in mind that the Heroes Act does not extend WOTC’s current December 31, 2011 sunset date for all other potentially elilgible WOTC participaants.

Today the HCD issued this press release regarding implementation of new policies, including a moratorium on new zones.  The stated aim of the new policy memorandum is to make the EZ more accountable, efficient and consistent with the Governor’s May budget revise, i.e. a push by the unions to undercut the EZ program from within.  The legal analysis is beginning on the HCD’s claim that the law allows for “up to” 42 zones which if read in the correct light, means phasing out the program.   Read the memo here.

The California Legislature’s zeal for job creation is, shall we say, less than stellar.  The consequences are obvious.  They are also highlighted in this Sacramento Bee piece from Sunday.

So says Republican Assemblyman Allan Mansoor.  He calls the governor’s proposal to eliminate Enterprise Zones a breach of contract. 

Read his letter.

According to the LA Times on Saturday, Brown’s May budget revise leaves the EZs intact:

The governor would use an unexpected multibillion-dollar influx of tax receipts to fill the gap left in his budget by the shorter period of income tax increases. He would also use the new money to keep in place “enterprise zone” tax credits for businesses that hire workers from blighted areas. Brown originally proposed eliminating those tax credits to save the state $924 million.

Just waiting for the official word today at 11.