Like nearly every community across the country, Santa Clarita is in the midst of historic economic times. Prudent fiscal planning and investment management by our City Council has lessened the local affects of the global economic slowdown, which has devastated some communities. While we are not immune to the hardships of the recession, we have managed to weather it better than most communities.

Santa Clarita’s 21-Point Business Plan for Progress, adopted by the City Council in April, was designed to help stimulate the local economy by boosting local businesses. The City’s financial commitment, coupled with federal stimulus dollars, have already yielded results. As an example, the new film incentive program provides subsidization of permit fees and a Transient Occupancy Tax rebate for locally-based productions. The program is the first in the entertainment industry’s “30-mile zone” of which Santa Clarita is in, and has helped to retain valuable productions in the Los Angeles area and to date, three productions have capitalized on the program, keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars right here in Santa Clarita.

Also part of the City’s 21-Point Business Plan for Progress is the maximization of federal stimulus dollars for local infrastructure projects. Some of these include highway infrastructure and transit capital assistance, including bridge rehabilitation, traffic circulation and improvements, expansion of parking at the Newhall Metrolink station, McBean regional transit center Park and Ride, as well as some “green” projects aimed at helping the environment and creating jobs.

Santa Clarita’s designation this year as “Los Angeles County’s Most Business Friendly City,” together with our City’s business friendly practices, helped to bring Advanced Bionics to Santa Clarita, with 350 well-paying jobs. The goals of the City’s plan are to bring more of these types of companies and more jobs to our City. One of the best tools in Santa Clarita’s tool box to help achieve this goal is the City’s designation as a State Enterprise Zone. To date, more than 140 local businesses have racked up over $37 million in direct savings through a variety of tax programs. This is real savings that businesses can use to re-invest in their companies, hire new employees and bump up their bottom lines.

If you would like more information about the 21-Point Business Plan for Progress, please log on to our website at: www.santa-clarita.com. I hope that you and your family enjoy a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday.