LA County Strategic Plan For Economic Development

Major Studios Demonstrate Commitment to Stay in L.A. Region

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:32:00 -0700

Los Angeles is known as the entertainment capital of the world—home to major studios such as Disney, Fox, Paramount, DreamWorks, Sony/Columbia, NBC/Universal, and Warner Bros. According to the LAEDC’s Industry Clusters Report, entertainment is the largest traded industry cluster in Los Angeles County, with 159,900 employees in 2010. Of these jobs, more than 70 percent are in the motion pictures and video industries alone.

The entertainment industry is one of the most important economic drivers in the L.A. region, with estimated total output of over $7.1 billion (2011 Otis Report on the Creative Economy).

A recent study conducted by Warner Bros showed that the studio spent over $4 billion each year, a nearly 30% increase from 1999.

In recent years we’ve seen announcements from studios with big plans for Los Angeles, including:

NBCUniversal’s Evolution Plan was first unveiled in 2010, and has recently released its Final Environmental Impact Report. The Evolution Plan includes the following:

308,800 of new square feet of production facilities such as soundstages
437,000 new square feet of production space and post-production facilities
495,000 square feet of new office space
146,000 net square feet of attractions at the Universal Studios Hollywood
39,000 net new square feet of retail and dining space
A new 500-room hotel at the CityWalk

Originally, the Evolution Plan had a neighborhood component with the goal of creating transit-oriented development, but it was recently dropped.

Economic Impacts of the Evolution Plan (as provided by NBCUniversal)

During construction

31,000 new jobs
$6.3 billion in total economic impact

During operation

12,000 new jobs
Over $2 billion in new economic impact
$26 million new city and county tax revenue

To learn more about the Evolution Plan, CLICK HERE.

"These studios spend billions locally and throughout the region on transportation, catering,..."

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:55:29 -0700

““These studios spend billions locally and throughout the region on transportation, catering, construction, electrical supplies, coffee shops,” Cooper said. “They are the lifeblood of our economy.””

- LAEDC economist Dr. Christine Cooper on the value of film and television production in Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has just...

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:42:00 -0700

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has just released a video montage celebrating the opening of Grand Park.

If you haven’t made time to hang out in the new park - some dubbing it the Central Park of Los Angeles - head down there today and check it out!

Take a break from all that dancing and come splash around in the fountain! #DTLA #nationaldanceday twitter.com/GrandPark_LA/s…
— Grand Park LA (@GrandPark_LA) July 28, 2012

Having a space where Angelenos can relax and play only enhances our community and makes Los Angeles County a more desirable place to live.

"We must look at using new and creative mechanisms such as Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) that..."

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:39:00 -0700

“We must look at using new and creative mechanisms such as Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) that combine government oversight with private sector innovation and efficiencies to supplement limited public funds. P3s are an established strategic growth measure that harnesses the capital, technical expertise, efficiencies and entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector and leverages those advantages with the environmental, quality of life and job creation goals of the public sector.”

- LAEDC Chief Operating Officer David Flaks on the need for new partnerships to fill the gaps left by the end of redevelopment agencies in California. Read the Long Beach Business Journal for the full story.

Recent Headlines - 7/31

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:59:00 -0700

Here’s a look at some of the headlines and issues the LAEDC has been involved in over the past few days:

Long Beach World Trade Center And The Port: The Future Of Public-Private Partnerships?
by Michael Gougis for the Long Beach Business Journal

With the Port of Long Beach looking for office space for its administrative staff and a building previously housing Boeing at the Long Beach Airport sized perfectly and priced attractively, moving to the airport might seem the obvious move. But the owners of One World Trade Center in Downtown Long Beach, who also are looking for a buyer, say that the obvious move might overlook the long-term economic benefits available to a city willing to seek new, creative methods of financing municipal operations.

Warner Bros. Is A Big Spender in L.A. County: $4 Billion A Year
by Richard Verrier for the Los Angeles Times

Owned by media giant Time Warner Inc., Warner Bros. has privately been tracking its costs for more than a decade, initially as an effort to educate film-wary communities about the economic benefits of film and TV productions. But this marks the first time the studio has publicly released such detailed information, providing a rare glimpse into the business operations of a major Hollywood studio. Warner executives say there was no specific catalyst for the decision to release the spending information, but they stressed it is part of an effort to better inform local politicians and the public about the value of the entertainment industry to the local economy at a time when L.A. is struggling to keep productions from chasing more advantageous film tax credits and rebates in other states.

L.A. County Board of Supes Want Film Permitting Rules Reviewed
City News Service for Patch.com

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to review the county’s rules for issuing film permits in an effort to conform to newly-adopted industry standards.

“As a job creator and tourism generator, the film industry is vital to the economic well-being of Los Angeles County and our 88 cities,” said Supervisor Don Knabe, who recommended the review. “The world’s view that Los Angeles is Hollywood — the mecca of film and television — is critical to attracting visitors and boosting the local economy. We cannot take for granted our position as the center of the entertainment industry.”

Photos from our recent CEQA bus tour, hosted by the LA Area...

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:01:00 -0700

Photos from our recent CEQA bus tour, hosted by the LA Area Chamber of Commerce and the LAEDC, with elected officials and business and community leaders. The tour took us to USC’s University Gateway, the Expo Transit Line, and several locations in Hollywood.

Read these case studies of high-profile projects throughout Los Angeles County that have been impacted by CEQA.

Harbor Commission Awards Bridge Design-Build Contract

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 13:05:28 -0700

Harbor Commission Awards Bridge Design-Build Contract:

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners today approved a $649.5 million contract with a joint venture team headed by Shimmick Construction Co. Inc., FCC Construction S.A. and Impregilo S.p.A. (SFI) for the design and construction of a replacement for the Port of Long Beach’s obsolete and deteriorating Gerald Desmond Bridge.

Final design and engineering will begin shortly, and construction of the new bridge is to start in 2013 and is scheduled for completion in 2016.

The bridge replacement — designed to ease traffic congestion and improve safety — is being jointly procured by the Port and the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans, Los Angeles County Metro, the Port and the U.S. Department of Transportation are contributing funds to the project.

Netflix Taps Server Maker For Role in Film Business

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:16:00 -0700

Netflix Taps Server Maker For Role in Film Business:

Great read by Adam Popescu in the Los Angeles Business Journal:

Customers of Netflix Inc. are downloading more and more movies. So the Los Gatos film distribution giant is changing the way it delivers those movies. As a result, Equus Computer Systems, a local division of a Minnetonka, Minn., hardware company, is building computer servers – lots of them – for Netflix. The servers will be loaded with Netflix movies and placed at Internet service provider companies. That way, Netflix doesn’t have to pay other companies to transmit its movies for online distribution. The change means that Netflix saves bandwidth and money.

The arrival of a company like Equus and its partnership with Netflix points to the region’s longstanding reputation as a national leader in manufacturing. The folks at Equus see the move to Los Angeles County as a unique opportunity:

John Pollock, Equus’ vice president of marketing and product management, said the company moved to City of Industry because it needed more space to build and develop the servers.

“It really does buck the trend we’re seeing in manufacturing,” Pollock said. “We’re not just installing components or turning screws.”

Find out more about strategies implemented by the LAEDC and its partners to support manufacturing industry and firms like Equus looking to do business in Los Angeles County. Also, click here for the most recent data on the manufacturing industry cluster within Los Angeles County.

California's City of Carson Is First to Adopt Model Ordinance for Location Production

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:25:43 -0700

California's City of Carson Is First to Adopt Model Ordinance for Location Production:

Government groups join together to encourage the state’s cities and counties to replace a patchwork of local laws with standardized rules to help keep the entertainment industry from taking its movie and TV shoots elsewhere.

SoCal Entities Partner to Support $30 Billion Entertainment Industry

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:23:00 -0700

SoCal Entities Partner to Support $30 Billion Entertainment Industry:

Check out this Storify wrap-up of our recent call for cities throughout Southern California to adopt the California Film Commission’s recent Model Film Ordinance.

LOS ANGELES —The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), FilmL.A., the California Film Commission, and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) have joined together to help protect the more than 6,600 business establishments that comprise California’s film, television, and commercial production industry, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs supported by the entertainment industry throughout the state.

On July 5th, SCAG’s Regional Council unanimously moved to encourage its 191 member cities and six counties to adopt a version of the MFO/BPs that fit their particular needs. The motion, urged by SCAG Regional Council President Glen Becerra, and the unanimous vote were clear and explicit expressions of support for one of Southern California’s most important and touchstone industry clusters, entertainment, which directly supports 176,700 jobs with $18.5 billion in total wages in Southern California in 2010, but which has been threatened in part by productions leaving the region for places offering lucrative incentives and film-friendlier environments.

Read the entire release here.

California Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes shared his thoughts on the value of the MFO and the region’s entertainment industry:

“I want to applaud the LAEDC, State Film Commission, Film LA and SCAG for partnering to create and distribute the recently adopted Model Film Ordinance and Best Practices,” said Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes, author of AB 1069, which extended the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program by an additional $100 million. “The entertainment industry is the lifeblood of the Southern California economy, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity. These new ordinances and best practices guide, will help to streamline regulations and is another example that Southern California is serious about keeping the film industry in its hometown.“

Be on the lookout for more of these! You can also learn about the Model Film Ordinance by visiting laedc.org/strategic/filmfriendliness.html.

Another great feature from filmworks.filmla.com: Whenever we...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:24:37 -0700

Another great feature from filmworks.filmla.com:

Whenever we hear about an entertainment business committed to growing and expanding its presence in the Golden State, we like to pay them a visit. And, when Film Works learned that Lee Brownstein, founder of Santa Monica-based XcitableBoy Productions, made the gutsy decision to expand during one of the slowest film production periods on record, we knew that he and his company needed to be celebrated for their investment in California. (via Santa Monica Movie Studio “Xcited” About the Future)

Altadena Nonprofit Raises Almost $10,000 from Film & TV Production, Donates Money Locally

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:46:16 -0700

Altadena Nonprofit Raises Almost $10,000 from Film & TV Production, Donates Money Locally:

Great blog post over at FilmWorks - a blog by FilmL.A. - about one man’s efforts to bring the benefits of local film production to his entire community:

Veteran location manager, actor and Altadena resident Russ Fega, whose credits include Memento (2000), I Am Sam (2001)and The Big Empty (2003), recently set up a nonprofit to help make film productions’ community generosity more visible. Altadena Community Chest expands Fega’s efforts to help more homeowners attract production through his location service, Home Shoot Home…Altadena Community Chest was founded when Fega learned that some of his neighbors in Altadena felt that they did not benefit from filming personally.

The organization’s stated goal is to make sure the benefits of hosting film production flow to “a broad spectrum of [Altadena] interests”, rather than just those residents or businesses that choose to rent their locations to film companies. To that end, the organization takes in donations from film production companies, aggregates them, and gifts larger sums to respected Altadena-based institutions.

Improvements Underway at the Port of Long Beach

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:49:45 -0700

The Green Port Gateway Project at the Port of Long Beach, which received $17 million in U.S Department of Transportation’s TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) funds, will go out for bid this summer. Construction is expected to begin in early 2013.

According to the Port of Long Beach, the Green Port Gateway Project “will add a third rail line, helping to remove bottlenecks on the existing mainline track to allow Port terminals to shift cargo from trucks to trains, which decreases local traffic congestion and air pollution. The improvements will minimize derailments and optimize rail traffic flow to the waterfront terminals. The project will cost an estimated $60 million and take 19 months to construct.”

Find out more at www.polb.com.

Photos from our trip to EVS26!

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:55:32 -0700

Photos from our trip to EVS26!

laedc: Who says manufacturers are running scared from Los...

Fri, 04 May 2012 16:20:00 -0700

laedc:

Who says manufacturers are running scared from Los Angeles? Boulder Electric Vehicle has just leased an industrial facility in Chatsworth. The Colorado-based clean tech manufacturer joins a budding EV industry in Los Angeles County. Apparently, Los Angeles has a few amenities to offer manufacturers…

From the Los Angeles Business Journal:

“We chose Los Angeles because of its access to a skilled, educated work force, close proximity to the ports and a large population which is leading in adoption of electric vehicles,” said Boulder Chief Executive Carter Brown in the statement issued by Jones Lang LaSalle.

Boulder makes battery-powered, lightweight delivery vans with bodies made from composite material. The Chatsworth plant is within the boundaries of a state enterprise zone, giving the company tax breaks and other incentives.

(Photo credit: Autoblog)

Here at the LAEDC, we are getting pretty excited about...

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:06:00 -0700

Here at the LAEDC, we are getting pretty excited about EVS26, set to kick off at the Los Angeles Convention Center tomorrow morning. We did a little research and came up with some interesting data that suggests L.A. County might be the next hub for electric vehicle production. Here are just a few tidbits:

L.A. County residents love their cars - USC’s Luskin Center expects EVs to make up 11.7% of all vehicles in our County by 2020 - but we don’t just drive. We design cars too! Manufacturers like Toyota and Honda house their design studios in the County That Drives.
L.A. County is home to worldwide-leading EV companies such as AeroVironment, BYD, CODA, 350 Green, and Quallion.

Also, some compelling data on the L.A. economy’s capacity for wealth creation and ability to capitalize on its diverse traded industry clusters:

Los Angeles is the #1 international trade center in the U.S, with a two-way trade value of $387.2 in 2011
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the nation’s busiest, handling 14 million TEUs in 2011.
Home to 10 million people
$544 billion economy with 3.86 million workers
Average wage is just over $53,000
1:2 trade employment location quotient

See our entire findings here.

"The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), an organization dedicated to..."

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

“The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), an organization dedicated to promoting job growth, economic expansion and preserving the overall global competitiveness of Los Angeles County, urges the City of Los Angeles to proceed with the phased elimination of the City’s gross receipts business tax, which continues to be a major disincentive for businesses starting up in, relocating to or staying in the City of Los Angeles. The LAEDC strongly believes that phasing-out the City’s burdensome and inequitable gross receipts business tax in a prudent, responsible way will help attract, grow and retain companies within the City of Los Angeles and, in doing so, help reverse the wholly unsustainable and very worrying trend of having added more than 823,000 people, but losing more than 165,000 net jobs in the City of Los Angeles since 1980. At the LAEDC, we firmly believe that strong, healthy communities begin with good jobs. And so, we – as public stewards – must all work together to take bold and courageous actions like this that will create and retain jobs, strengthen and modernize the City’s economy, and care for and improve the overall quality of life for all our residents.””

- LAEDC statement regarding the City of Los Angeles’ Gross Receipts Business Tax

Today, the Port of Long Beach announced that overall container...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:08:11 -0700

Today, the Port of Long Beach announced that overall container volume through the port increased by 12% with imports increasing by 18.3% and exports increasing by 10%.

laedc: Enterprise Zones in the Los Angeles County region are on...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:51:00 -0700

laedc:

Enterprise Zones in the Los Angeles County region are on a role. We just received word that the Harbor Gateway Communities EZ has also received a designation.

Last year we urged the California Department of Housing and Community Development to take action on behalf of HGCEZ, stating:

Notwithstanding the highly charged rhetoric of the recent budget debate, the California Enterprise Zone (EZ) Program remains one of the last and most dependable statewide economic development tools that local communities and economic developers can use to encourage businesses to stay or locate in-state. The Enterprise Zone Program also plays a key roll in revitalizing economically-challenged areas throughout the state, encourages development in blighted neighborhoods and creates economically-stable communities by embracing entrepreneurship and private sector market forces to stimulate local economies.

Check out CODA’s recent infographic in GOOD Magazine: Los...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:36:00 -0700

Check out CODA’s recent infographic in GOOD Magazine:

Los Angeles-based car manufacturer CODA has been working to redefine what an electric vehicle can be. In addition to environmental and cost-saving benefits, its all-electric sedan features a range of up to 125 miles per charge and speedy acceleration.

You can also follow GOOD on Tumblr here.

The LAEDC has an E-Mobility Task Force dedicated to developing “a comprehensive LA County Electric Vehicle (EV) Deployment Community Blueprint; maximizing Plug-in EV adoption rates, collecting vital data, maximizing infrastructure design and effectiveness; positioning LA County to Receive Federal Funding from DOE Deployment Community Program; and fostering and supporting LA County’s EV industry cluster to grow jobs and investment.

Co-Chairs for the Task Force include: Michael Boehm, COO, HB/Sustain; Michael Bissonette, Vice President and General Manager, AeroVironment Inc.; and Jeffrey Joyner, Attorney, Greenberg Traurig, LLP