The City’s Economic Development manager Jason Crawford takes issue with my recent post about the Enterprise Zone program and provides some data that shows the program’s effectiveness:
Just wanted to be in touch following your post about the Santa Clarita Enterprise Zone.
Over 1,100 people have been hired since July 1, 2007 at over 160 local businesses through the Santa Clarita Enterprise Zone.
Increasing jobs in Santa Clarita is the primary objective of the Enterprise Zone, of the 21 point Business Plan for Progress and of the City of Santa Clarita’s long term economic development strategy. We know job creation is the foundation of a strong economy, and without the confidence of employment residents may not be able to do the necessities like putting food on their tables , pay their day-to-day bills and mortgage payments, much less go out and spend money on non-essentials which spurs the consumer retail and restaurant spending that drives so much of the economy.
The Enterprise Zone helps businesses of all size, and the majority of the businesses that have seen savings from the Santa Clarita Enterprise Zone are small businesses, many of which have utilized the savings to prevent layoffs and keep their doors open during this Great Recession.
The Enterprise Zone saves businesses money by incentivizing them to hire more employees, invest in new business tools and infrastructure. The business only receives the tax break if they have hired ‘qualified’ employees or made ‘qualified’ equipment purchases, which benefits Santa Clarita through company expansion and new job opportunities for residents.
The Enterprise Zone is a critical tool for retaining our existing businesses and attracting new business to relocate to Santa Clarita, which makes it vital to the overall health and well-being of our community.
The City is working to do everything it can to support Santa Clarita businesses and the people they employ to ensure the success of our community. It is within everyone’s best interest. We are already ahead of many other cities, and I am confident we will come out of the recession one of LA County’s strongest cities.
Considering that the raw amount of people unemployed in Santa Clarita per the BLS stands around 6,000-7,000 people, 1,100 new jobs is certainly a good accomplishment for the EZ Program.
Ideally, it’d be nice to see the City of Santa Clarita report figures like these yearly or even quarterly. It’d go along way toward reassuring nitpickers like me that all the outreach effort toward local business owners is paying off in the form of new jobs and a more robust economy.
Thank you for the note Jason.
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Can Jason post hires for the biggest 20 businesses hiring the most folks along with number hired at each of those 20? That way we can all see what kinds of jobs are being created.
Unemployment nationally sits at just under 10%, but for low-income workers unemployment is a staggering 30% and for high income workers unemployment is merely 3% (and statistically very close to “full employment). Factually speaking, at this moment we simply do need more lower income jobs. And isn’t that what the Enterprise Zone is supposed to help accomplish (that is, help lower income folks get jobs)? It sure seems like taxbreaks to help create jobs for poor people with 30% unemployment makes sense (as opposed to taxbreaks to help affluent people facing only 3% unemployment).
Now maybe Obama will tell us about all the jobs that were created as the result of his Stimulus Plan. Oh wait. We already know that the few jobs that were created were in the Government Sector with the majority of the $ going to keep other government workers employed and paid raises to.
I draw your attention to the op/ed below by retired emergency room physician and former state senator Tom Patterson. Devastating indictment of stimulus.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/150944
This article isn’t about the Stimulus program, it’s about the Santa Clarita Enterprise Zone, which are two different things.
Right, KDK, because under George W the US economy was cruising along wonderfully and then everything fell apart after Obama took office. Right…. If we could only go back to the good old George W days….
Saugus Splasher:
The economy took a dump as Bush was leaving office. Perhaps you don’t remember but his administration proposed and had passed the first stimulus bill.
So what you are implying then is ….. you should have done your homework?
Instead of saying, “What are we getting out of it?” you should have done a bit more research?
Nope. What I said was correct. We don’t get data on the effectiveness of the program. The last time we heard a report about the number of people hired under the EZ programs was September. I’m glad Jason gave some numbers and details in his response.
What’s the matter- I can only write good things about the City? You guys think this blog has become anti-city?
In your first post you said nothing about the September figures and you implied the City had never shared any information. Wrong. Now you are saying, the City HAS shared information…you just want more. Which is fine and I agree, more information would be nice.
And it appears that all you needed to do was to call or email Jason to get more information.
You’re right, I should have given Jason a chance to answer my questions. But when he did reply I took his comment and put it at the top of the scroll.
Tell me- do you guys at the city think you’re not getting a fair shake on this blog? I’m being too hard on you?
Furthermore, after the State of the City you opined how you “wish you were a business” and how the City spends so much time and money focusing on businesses and jobs.
“I just feel like supporting business is all they talk about anymore.” (Jeff: October 6,2009)
Clearly, talking and focusing on businesses is just absurd with the unemployment rate and recession we are experiencing.
SHEESH Jeff! Now, you are saying they are not spending enough time on it and you want more data, more information, more resources spent on analysis.
“SHEESH Jeff! Now, you are saying they are not spending enough time on it and you want more data, more information, more resources spent on analysis.”
That’s right. We the people deserve to know what the businesses are doing with the tax breaks we’re giving them. You disagree with that?
I can’t talk for the “guys at the City” but I don’t think you are consistant at all.
I’m just saying as a “journalist” you should ask more questions before responding to a video. The data is out there.
Department?
I’m just saying as a “journalist” you should ask more questions before responding to a video. The data is out there.
I’m a conservative who wants transparancy and LOVES holding government at all levels accountable.
I also appreciate when folks can have an honest debate with reason and logic.