Economic Prosperity Element

 

Vision & Core Values

A vision statement is the expression of our community’s past, present, and future; our aspirations and dreams; and is only bound by the limits of our ambition. The following vision was created through a collaborative process that included community comments, the General Plan Advisory Group, and the City Council. This vision guides the General Plan’s goals and policies and future decisions.

Santa Ana is a city that promotes the health and wellness of all residents, with a civic culture that actively embraces the power of diversity. Our city invests in resources that create economic opportunities for the next generation, and it is a community that celebrates our past while working together to create a sustainable future.

Icon for health core value HEALTH

The people of Santa Ana value a physical environment that encourages healthy lifestyles, a planning process that ensures that health impacts are considered, and a community that actively pursues policies and practices that improve the health of our residents.

Icon for Equity core value Icon for Equity core value with environmental justice EQUITY

Our residents value taking all necessary steps to ensure equitable outcomes, expanding access to the tools and resources that residents need, and to balance competing interests in an open and democratic manner.

The value of equity that includes “EJ” in the upper corner indicates a policy related to environmental justice.

Icon for sustainability core value SUSTAINABILITY

Santa Ana values land use decisions that benefit future generations, plans for the impacts of climate change, and incorporates sustainable design practices at all levels of the planning process.

Icon for culture core value CULTURE

Our community values efforts that celebrate our differences as a source of strength, preserve and build upon existing cultural resources, and nurture a citywide culture of empowered residents.

Icon for education core value EDUCATION

We are a city that values the creation of lifelong learners, the importance of opening up educational opportunities to all residents and investing in educational programs that advance our residents’ economic wellbeing.

About the Element

The purpose of the Economic Prosperity Element is to ensure Santa Ana’s local economy, and its role in the broader regional economy, expands, maintains, and enhances job opportunities; attracts and retains a balance of business types; provides sufficient revenue for public services; and contributes to the overall quality of life experienced by the city’s residents.

Santa Ana is a unique, historic, urban city with significant opportunities to capitalize on its many assets: a diverse and multicultural community; a great location to live, work, and do business; and high quality public facilities and services.

To thrive, the City must continue to diversify its economy to realize more jobs in the community, more urban renewal, and expanded revenue to support the growing demands on City services.

Key to the City’ s success is making budget decisions that balance the needs of the community with the City’s long-term viability. This will require prioritizing spending through annual City budgets and preparing for increased demands on the City’ s infrastructure and more services as this community grows.

The goals and policies of this element will inform and guide decisions across City government. The City intends that its allocation of resources, the operation of its agencies, and the application of its regulatory authority will cause the local economy to grow and diversify. The City further intends that local economic growth and diversification will reduce and ameliorate poverty, increase overall prosperity, improve health and wellness outcomes, expand housing opportunities, and increase quality of life choices available to city residents.

Through the community engagement process for this General Plan, participants identified numerous economic considerations and values that they believe should form the basis of and be addressed by this element. Specifically, participants highlighted the following topics, areas of concern, and community strengths:

  • Developing local talent and a skilled workforce
  • Broad economic goals
  • Maintain a business-friendly environment
  • Attract industries with living wage jobs
  • Invest in downtown and citywide
  • Highlight the city’s unique and attractive qualities
  • Expand employment opportunities for youth
  • Support small businesses

Policy Framework

Foster a dynamic local economy that provides and creates employment opportunities for all residents in the city.

  • Policy EP-1.1
    Protect Industrial
    Protect industrial uses that provide quality job opportunities, including middle-income jobs; provide for secondary employment and supporting uses; and maintain areas where smaller emerging industrial uses can locate in a multitenant setting.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-1.2
    Attract Business
    Strengthen and expand citywide business attraction efforts in order to achieve the city’s full employment potential.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-1.3
    Living-wage Employment
    Promote new and retain existing job-producing businesses that provide living-wage employment opportunities.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-1.4
    Job Skills
    Pursue available financial and tax incentives to improve residents’ employment skills and workforce preparation.
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  • Policy EP-1.5
    Access through Education
    Support education and employment training on a citywide basis to improve access to higher-wage and emerging occupations.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-1.6
    Comprehensive Approach
    Collaborate with chambers of commerce, educational institutions, and other partners to prepare residents to seek and thrive in current and emerging employment environments.
    Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-1.7
    Targeted Resources
    Target business attraction and retention resources to firms with high positive net revenue implications for local government, particularly those engaged in business-to-business taxable sales transactions.
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  • Policy EP-1.8
    Growing Tax Base
    Collaborate with the chambers of commerce to promote fiscal stability and growth of sales tax and employment generating businesses in the city.
    Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-1.9
    Avoid Conflict of Uses
    Avoid potential land use conflicts by prohibiting the location of sensitive receptors and noxious land uses in close proximity.
    Icon for health core value Icon for Equity core value with environmental justice Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-1.10
    Creative Class
    Target the attraction of arts and culture related industries to create jobs, attract investments, and stimulate the local economy through tourism.
    Icon for culture core value Icon for sustainability core value

Maintain and enhance the diversity and regional significance of the city’s economic base.

  • Policy EP-2.1
    High-growth Businesses
    Promote economic development opportunities in high-growth business clusters that match the changing skillset of the city’s resident population.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-2.2
    Deliberate Investment
    Pursue business attraction and retention prospects in sectors which broaden and strengthen the local economy.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-2.3
    Complementary Businesses
    Encourage the development of mutually beneficial and complementary business clusters within the community.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-2.4
    Community-led Economic Development
    Support community-based economic development initiatives, such as buy-local campaign, marketing strategies, and worker cooperatives.
    Icon for Equity core value with environmental justice Icon for sustainability core value Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-2.5
    Sufficient Industrial Land
    Ensure sufficient availability of industrial zoned properties and businesses that provide employment opportunities for the city’s resident population.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-2.6
    Small Business Assistance
    Support and encourage small business development, incubators, and microenterprises through start-up assistance and identification of fiscal resources for entrepreneurship.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-2.7
    Infrastructure as an Amenity
    Provide state-of-the-art infrastructure systems with sufficient capacity to attract emerging businesses, encourage efficient public service delivery, and foster a sustainable community.
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  • Policy EP-2.8
    Emerging Businesses
    Pursue and grow emerging business and industry that further fiscal and environmental sustainability of the community.
    Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-2.9
    Energy Conservation
    Collaborate with utility providers and regional partners to encourage business and industry to improve performance in energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction.
    Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-2.10
    Green Business
    Support the growth of a diverse green business sector that facilitates and promotes environmental sustainability and creates a competitive advantage for business attraction activities.
    Icon for health core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-2.11
    Goods Producing Sector
    Support economic development initiatives and land use strategies that preserve and foster an environment that allows the goods producing sector to thrive.
    Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-2.12
    Resiliency
    Collaborate with governmental agencies and businesses to develop, maintain, and deploy physical and financial strategies that enable businesses of all sizes and their employees to withstand and recover from the acute impacts of flooding, extreme weather events, and public health epidemics or pandemics.
    Icon for health core value Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value

Promote a business friendly environment where businesses thrive and build on Santa Ana’s strengths and opportunities.

  • Policy EP-3.1
    Leverage Historic and Cultural Assets
    Market the city’s historic and cultural assets to increase the attraction of businesses and their employees to Santa Ana’s places and destinations.
    Icon for culture core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-3.2
    City Branding
    Promote Santa Ana as a “Smart City” and regional leader in sustainability, equity, innovation, place making, collaboration, and community pride in products made in Santa Ana.
    Icon for culture core value Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-3.3
    Mitigate Impacts
    Promote the development of sustainable and equitable new land use plans that proactively reduces negative health and economic impacts on existing residents and businesses, especially in environmental justice communities.
    Icon for health core value Icon for Equity core value with environmental justice Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-3.4
    Complete Communities
    Encourage the development of “complete communities” that provide a range of housing, services, amenities, and transportation options to support the retention and attraction of a skilled workforce and employment base.
    Icon for culture core value Icon for health core value Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-3.5
    Simplify the Process
    Provide a streamlined development process and assist businesses with permit processing.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-3.6
    Responsive to Trends
    Maintain flexible and up-to-date land use regulations that are responsive to changing business trends, best practices, technological advancements, and community needs.
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  • Policy EP-3.7
    Facilitating Investment
    Promote a solution-based customer focus in order to facilitate additional development and investment in the community.
    Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-3.8
    Comprehensive Analysis of Land Use
    Pursue a balance of fiscal and qualitative community benefits when making land use decisions.
    Icon for health core value Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-3.9
    Civic Culture and Community Service
    Facilitate a business culture that encourages community service and wellness programs for residents and employees.
    Icon for culture core value Icon for health core value Icon for Equity core value Icon for sustainability core value Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-3.10
    Rethinking Strip-commercial
    Promote the creation of distinctive neighborhood serving districts through the renovation or redevelopment of existing strip-commercial development.
    Icon for sustainability core value
  • Policy EP-3.11
    Improve Image
    Create vibrant public spaces through arts and culture projects that enhance urban quality of life, expand the tax base, and improve regional and community image.
    Icon for culture core value Icon for health core value Icon for sustainability core value

Promote strategies that create an economic development mindset integrated throughout City Hall.

  • Policy EP-4.1
    Economic Development Responsibility
    Promote a spirit in which economic development is the responsibility of each elected official, appointed official, and City employee through ongoing quality customer service.
    Icon for culture core value Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-4.2
    Economic Development Training
    As financial resources are available, invest in economic development training for staff, elected and appointed officials, and key community stakeholders.
    Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-4.3
    Business Visitation
    Encourage frequent dialogue between City representatives and owners and managers of businesses operating in Santa Ana.
    Icon for sustainability core value Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-4.4
    Economic Development Strategy
    Adopt and regularly update a comprehensive economic development strategic plan, either as a stand-alone plan or as part of the City’s Strategic Plan.
    Icon for culture core value
  • Policy EP-4.5
    Economic Development Partners
    Collaborate effectively with regional economic development partners to achieve specific measurable goals for Santa Ana.
    Icon for education core value
  • Policy EP-4.6
    Public-private Partnerships
    Prioritize municipal initiatives and investments in areas in which private sector businesses and property owners are voluntarily providing private funding through special financing districts (such as assessment districts and business improvement districts).
    Icon for sustainability core value

Figures & Tables

Implementation

An implementation plan is a coordinated series of actions the City desires to take in the future that are intended to advance, over the long term, the City’s Shared Vision, Core Values, and the General Plan goals and policies. An implementation plan is thus a follow-up measure for this element. Taken as a whole, these programs represent the City’s best thinking today on what actions should be taken to address the considerations and concerns of the community and make sure that the plan’s aspirations are achieved.

Implementation is in large part contingent upon adequate funding. Many of these actions can be pursued through initiatives already underway. Other programs will require additional resources. Therefore, the exact mix and timing of programs the City may pursue will in part be opportunity driven, dependent on the availability of funding, staffing, and other necessary resources. The Time Frame in the Implementation Table below is the target for completion of the Action.

This element may be implemented by amendments to existing plans, ordinances, development standards, and design guidelines; capital investments/projects; and interagency/interjurisdictional coordination. The following table identifies the implementation action, the responsible City agency, and the targeted timeline for accomplishment.

Ref #

Implementation Action

Agency/
Time Frame

GOAL EP-1: Job Creation and Retention: Foster a dynamic local economy that provides and creates employment opportunities for all residents in the City.

1.1

Economic Development Strategic Plan. Pursue funding and update the City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan every three years to report on economic trends, describe targeted industry clusters, identify economic issues, inform infrastructure and land use priorities, develop strategies for addressing near- to mid-term economic issues, and identify new initiatives in the private sector, within the context of long-term goals.

CDA 2023

1.2

Fiscal impacts of land use changes. Document the potential economic and fiscal impacts associated with significant land use plan amendments involving land use or intensity revisions.

CDA
2021

1.3

Economic indicators. Explore the use of key economic indicators to identify the need for new strategies and establish priorities for public investment. This data will be used in the development of the City’s Economic Development Strategy Plan and also updated bi-annually on the City’s economic development website.

CDA
2022

1.4

Integrity of industrial areas. Review the permitted uses in industrial zones and consider removing uses that do not need to be in an industrial zone; identify areas where new warehousing development would not be consistent with the desire to maintain manufacturing and other industrial uses that have higher employment per acre than warehousing.

CDA
Ongoing

1.5

Broker outreach. Conduct outreach meetings with commercial and industrial real estate brokers to discuss the types of businesses considering a Santa Ana business location; identify challenges that discourage business from locating in the city; implement a plan to address such challenges.

CDA
2021

1.6

Business development targets. Prepare and regularly update a business development target list that identifies the types of businesses that are most likely to be interested in a Santa Ana business location, the types of businesses most likely to employ city residents, types of businesses that broaden the local economy, and the types of businesses expected to generate higher net revenues for the City or to create shared revenue opportunities; target the City’s business attraction efforts on these types of businesses.

CDA
Ongoing

Notes:
CDA – Community Development Agency; PBA – Planning and Building Agency; PD – Police Department; CMO – City Manager’s Office; PWA – Public Works Agency; HR- Human Resources Department; PRCSA – Parks, Recreation and Community Services Agency
EJ action icon (Community Element) associated with environmental justice policies

 

Ref #

Implementation Action

Agency/
Time Frame

GOAL EP-2:  Maintain and enhance the diversity and regional significance of the city’s economic base.

2.1

Business attraction. Participate in state and national economic development organizations. Attend trade shows and market Santa Ana to high-growth business clusters for Orange County, consistent with the Economic Development Strategic Plan.

CDA Ongoing

2.2

Business incubator. Explore the feasibility of establishing a business incubator/business accelerator in Santa Ana.

CDA 2022

2.3

Green business recruitment. Conduct a study to identify the types of green businesses best suited to a Santa Ana business location; market the city to these types of businesses.

CDA 2022

2.4

Communication Technology. Partner with public and private enterprises to facilitate communication technology, such as fiber optics, to address current and future technology needs relative to available resources and ensure that the city maintains a competitive business environment.

PWA Ongoing

2.5

Wireless Telecommunication. Update the local Wireless Telecommunication Design Guidelines to incorporate best industry practices, consistency with federal requirements, and community considerations.

PWA 2021

Notes:
CDA – Community Development Agency; PBA – Planning and Building Agency; PD – Police Department; CMO – City Manager’s Office; PWA – Public Works Agency; HR- Human Resources Department; PRCSA – Parks, Recreation and Community Services Agency
EJ action icon (Community Element) associated with environmental justice policies

 

Ref #

Implementation Action

Agency/
Time Frame

GOAL EP-3: Business Friendly Environment Promote a business friendly environment where businesses thrive and build on Santa Ana’s strengths and opportunities.

3.1

Historic and cultural resources. Conduct an outreach program with commercial and industrial brokers focused on the City’s historical and cultural assets and how these assets can be beneficial to businesses and their employees; develop marketing collateral focused on the City’s historical and cultural assets.

CDA
2021

3.2

Economic development ombudsman. Pursue funding and establish an ombudsman position in the Economic Development Division to assist new businesses in navigating the building and permitting processes.

CDA
2022

3.3

Business outreach and retention. Continue to support existing business attraction and retention programs. Maintain partnerships with the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce and other nonprofit organizations. Continue to reach out to national retailers and employers.

CDA
Ongoing

3.4

Business relocation assistance. Continue to promote and market the Recycling Market Development Zone. Develop a program to assist businesses that want to relocate from functionally obsolete strip commercial locations to new distinctive neighborhood commercial districts.

CDA
Ongoing

3.5 EJ action icon (Community Element)

Green business incentives. Continue to promote and market the Recycling Market Development Zone. Develop an incentive program to encourage nonpolluting industry and clean green technology companies that reduce environmental impacts and the carbon footprint to locate to the city. Encourage existing businesses to invest in technology and best practice to transition to sustainable business practices.

CDA
Ongoing

3.6

Customer service survey. Develop and maintain a customer service survey to evaluate and identify opportunities to improve permit and licensing procedures. Train appropriate business counter staff on enhanced customer service methods for the public.

CDA/PBA
2022

3.7

Software upgrade. Upgrade permit processing software to streamline review, allow the submission of electronic applications, reduce costs, and monitor processing time.

PBA
2022

3.8

Promote gathering spaces. Develop the role of the Arts and Culture Division of the Community Development Agency to coordinate various arts, culture, and historical programs that promote creative gathering spaces and experiences in Santa Ana.

CDA/PBA Ongoing

3.9

Marketing strategy. Pursue funding and develop and maintain a branding and marketing strategy and materials to promote Santa Ana and maximize the effectiveness of the City’s communication materials, website, and urban placemaking elements.

CDA
2023

3.10

Business license. Consider reduction of business tax assessment to support small businesses in the city and coordinate voter approval as needed.

CDA/Finance Ongoing

Notes:
CDA – Community Development Agency; PBA – Planning and Building Agency; PD – Police Department; CMO – City Manager’s Office; PWA – Public Works Agency; HR- Human Resources Department; PRCSA – Parks, Recreation and Community Services Agency
EJ action icon (Community Element) associated with environmental justice policies

Ref #

Implementation Action

Agency/
Time Frame

GOAL EP-4: Economic Development Strategies: Promote strategies that create an economic development mindset integrated throughout City Hall.

4.1

Economic development training. Each year, provide budget funds for at least one staff member and one elected or appointed official to attend an economic development training program through the California Association for Local Economic Development or a similar program.

CDA
Ongoing

4.2

Business outreach. Conduct a monthly business breakfast workshop with a different sector of the local economy or a different geographic area each month in order for elected officials and senior staff to keep businesses apprised of what Santa Ana is doing for economic development and to hear directly from local businesses about the advantages and challenges of operating a business in the city.

CDA
Ongoing

Notes:
CDA – Community Development Agency; PBA – Planning and Building Agency; PD – Police Department; CMO – City Manager’s Office; PWA – Public Works Agency; HR- Human Resources Department; PRCSA – Parks, Recreation and Community Services Agency
EJ action icon (Community Element) associated with environmental justice policies

 

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