06/25/2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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· The federal Empowerment Zone is a 10-year federal designation the City of Santa ^na received on January 13, 1999; the designation will expire in 2009 · The Empowerment Zone covers a four square mile region of the City · The boundaries were based on poverty rate and census tracts · The goals for phase one of the R & D Infrastructure include: the gathering of odginal data, analysis, and a report on current empowerment zone state of affairs · Questions to be answered include: How is the Empowerment zone doing with respect to businesses? With respect to residents? Where is it excelling? Where is it underperforming? · Since the beginning of the Zone in 1999, 221 new companies have been attracted to the empowerment zone representing about 4, 000 new jobs · Unemployment in the zone is 9.7% as compared to 5% in Orange County; the median age is 23.5 as compared to a median age of 33.4 in Orange County; per capita income in $8, 442 as compared to a per capita income of $25, 504 in Orange County · The total number of persons per household ranges from 1 to 19, with an average of 5.91 · The number of wage earners in each household ranges from 0 to 12, with an average of 2.5 · Survey respondents have lived in Santa Ana from 1 month to 90 years, averaging 18.36 years · Perceived barriers to primary wage earners' ability to work include lack of affordable housing, lack of child care, and lack of transportation · The Empowerment Zone is being transformed by significant changes in demographics, growth of technology, globalization of economy and markets, and continued restructuring of workplaces · R & D infrastructure and resulting activities need to become more specific, comprehensive and foresighted · Key findings in phase one: o Increase marketing of benefits and services of the Empowerment Zone o Balance portfolio of Zone companies by attracting financial and health services o Address language skills o Address education and skill levels o Look at barriers to goal of long-term sustainability: child care, housing, documentation, small business viability and sustainability, and transportation · With its heavy reliance on the manufacturing cluster, the SAEZ faces the potential for increased poverty and joblessness, under employment for Iow- income residents, difficult decisions for employer, and economic uncertainty · Language skills of SAEZ residents do not match up with most entry-level cluster jobs, especially service SAEC MINUTES 4 ~ 25, 2003