Category Archives: HCD
Enterprise Zone Expansion Approved for Castroville
HCD has approved an expansion to the Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone. Here is a story (with video!) from the local news outlet: The Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone is growing. It will now include highway 183 and parts of Castroville. The Enterprise Zone gives tax breaks and other benefits to businesses in hopes of bringing more [...]
Next Round of Enterprise Zone Applications (Unofficially) Getting Started
Two Enterprise Zones will expire in early 2012, and, in theory, HCD should be rolling out a new application round in the near future. In fact, in HCD’s press release from December 2010, they said: HCD also announces the release of the Request for Proposals (RFP) in January 2011 for the next two Enterprise Zones [...]
HCD Offers Helpful Clarification
In an email blast dated January 4 HCD made the following very helpful clarification: Infill and new development often result in new street names, numbers and address range expansions. The local enterprise zone management is usually first made aware of these changes when new businesses inquire about zone benefits or when enterprise zone businesses apply [...]
Voucher Fee Increase Will Go Into Effect 12/1/2010
With the passage of SB 856 as part of the budget, the State’s fee per Enterprise Zone voucher application will increase from $10 to $15. Since the bill was passed as an urgency measure, it had been understood that the fee increase would go into effect immediately upon being signed by the Governor on October [...]
HCD Update
At yesterday’s meeting, the CAEZ Board received an update from HCD’s John Nunn. The first piece of good news is that HCD has added one new staff member to work with the Enterprise Zones, they are still looking at candidates to fill two more positions. Mr. Nunn reported that they are receiving a fair number [...]
Changes at HCD
A complete overhaul to the management of the Enterprise Zone Program at HCD were announced this week at the CAEZ Board meeting in Sacramento. After the departure of Frank Luera, Rebecca Matt took over as an interim manager; on Wednesday she announced that she would be changing positions within HCD and would no longer be [...]
Frank Luera Retiring From HCD
Frank Luera, who has been Chief of the State Enterprise & Economic Development Section which oversees the Enterprise Zone Program has announced his retirement from HCD in an email, “After several years as Chief of the State’s Enterprise Zone Program, I have decided to pursue other interests. My last day will be June 19, 2009.” [...]
HCD Updates
At yesterday’s CAEZ Board meeting we were once again treated to an update from Frank Luera at HCD. Of the 31 zones designated in 2006-2008, 16 remain only conditionally designated. The deadline for applications in the 2009 round is March 27. There are four slots available and HCD expects the round to be “highly competitive;” [...]
CAEZ Conference Update 2
As in past years, the CAEZ Conference had the benefit of receiving updates from Frank Luera of HCD and Jeannie Harriman of FTB. HCD expects the final application for the next round of zone designations to be released as early as the week of Oct. 27. Those applications would then be due sometime next March [...]
2008/2009 Designation Round
HCD has posted an update to their website announcing the impending launch of the next round of Enterprise Zone expirations and applications: Update on the 2008/2009 Designation Round — The Department is currently drafting the Application Guidebook for the next designation round. For this round, there will be four slots available. At this time, the [...]
New HCD Memo: LAMBRAs
Someone turned on the memo spigot at HCD. Today HCD issued Memorandum 8-07 dealing with some ambiguity in determining the correct effective dates of the LAMBRAs. As the memo describes the problem: AB 2875 changed the effective date of each LAMBRA’s eight-year period. Because AB 2875 stated that a LAMBRA would begin its eight-year period [...]
All TEA Mysteries Resolved
HCD has just issued a much anticipated memorandum addressing some of the most interesting dynamics of TEAs. As stated in the memo it addresses: • New enterprise zones must apply for a Targeted Employment Area. • A TEA may include a census tract that overlaps with the boundaries of a jurisdiction that is not participating [...]
CAEZ Meeting Update Part 3 – HCD
And finally, CAEZ received an update from Frank Luera of HCD. The Department is in the process of auditing the zones. Frank was very careful to emphasize that the goal of these audits is to strengthen the zones and provide constructive guidence; they are not out there looking for ways to dedesignate zones. He told [...]
CAEZ Board Meeting July 24
The next CAEZ board meeting will be in Sacramento on July 24th. Here is the agenda. That meeting will be followed by a workshop by HCD for those zones that are still in a conditionally approved state on how to complete the MOU phase and obtain final designation. The workshop is only open to jurisdictions [...]
What Ever Happened to Arvin?
It’s hard to believe, but is has been over 19 months since 23 new Enterprise Zones received conditional designations back in November 2006. All but four of the new zones were able to enjoy immediate implementation because of AB 1550. Santa Clarita, Fresno County, and Compton were all brand new to the EZ program and [...]
