‘Business Friendly’ Cities List Omits L.A.

Which city in Los Angeles County is the most “business friendly”? Definitely not Los Angeles.

Try Burbank, El Segundo, Lancaster, Long Beach and Santa Clarita. They were selected as finalists in a contest commissioned by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. to determine which city is best at “attracting and retaining businesses which provide quality jobs for their residents.”

Burbank is in the running partly because it offers numerous business entry and expansion programs and has among the lowest fees in the region, said the LAEDC, a nonprofit business support organization. El Segundo has more Fortune 500 firms per capita than any other city in the county, and its average time to process a business license is less than 24 hours.

Lancaster has an aggressive and pro-business City Council that takes a practical approach to business, the organization said. Long Beach has an efficient transportation network and enterprise zone benefits. Santa Clarita doesn’t have a business license fee and boasts a highly educated workforce with available land for development.

These finalists were selected by a panel of business leaders, consultants and others, with the winner to be announced Oct. 5, the LAEDC said.

“This award will showcase the city that best exemplifies what it means to be business friendly in our region,” said Bill Allen, LAEDC president and chief executive.

Criteria included a demonstrated commitment to economic development; excellence in programs and services designed to facilitate business entry, expansion and retention; and competitive tax rates and fee structures.

Cities had to apply to enter the contest but some didn’t because they figured they’d have no shot, Allen said. Others were afraid that being identified as business friendly would be seen as a political liability, he said.

As for the city of Los Angeles, its job creation is nothing to boast about, Allen said. In the last 25 years, the county has added more than 2.5 million residents, but only about 500,000 jobs.

As the county’s biggest city by far, Los Angeles deserves the bulk of the blame for that lackluster performance, Allen said.