202 C Street, MS #9A San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 236-6550 (619) 533-6514 (fax) www.sandiego.gov City Council Mayor Dick Murphy District #1 Councilmember Scott Peters District #2 Councilmember Michael Zucchet District #3 Councilmember Toni Atkins District #4 Councilmember Charles Lewis District #5 Councilmember Brian Maienschein District #6 Councilmember Donna Frye District #7 Councilmember Jim Madaffer District #8 Councilmember Ralph Inzunza, Deputy Mayor Economic Development Department Hank Cunningham Community And Economic Development Director HCunningham@sandiego.gov Mike Jenkins Assistant To The Director, Community And Development MJenkins@sandiego.gov Jeff Kawar Economic Development Deputy Director JKawar@sandiego.gov

Population 1,264,600 Housing Units 469,689 Total Employment 645,159 School District San Diego Unified

The City of San Diego is a progressive, business friendly city. With its close proximity to Mexico, low business tax rate, educated workforce, renowned research institutions, and business development incentives, San Diego offers opportunity for enterprise that is unmatched.

The City of San Diego directly operates the following programs to promote business investment:

• Targeted Business Assistance: The City of San Diego's Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) Program provides direct assistance and in-house advocacy to job creating firms that provide a foundation for the regional economy. Companies typically qualify for specialized assistance by meeting one the following criteria: 1) creating quality jobs within the City; 2) generating new and recurring City revenue; 3) contributing to the City's research and development and/or manufacturing sectors; or 4) being classified as a targeted industry. The City's targeted industries are biotechnology/biomedical, electronics, telecommunications, software, defense and aerospace. Targeted business assistance may include, but is not limited to, expediting permits, reducing local fees and offering various tax incentives.
  
  
• Small Business Assistance: With more than 97% of local businesses having fewer than 100 employees, San Diego is a bastion of small business entrepreneurialism. San Diego operates
  
  
• the Office of Small Business, one of only a few municipal programs of its kind in the nation, providing start-up and business resource information, permit assistance and advocacy, grants to promote revitalization of older business areas, and support for the 19 Business Improvement Districts established by business owners.
  
  
• Special Incentive Zones: The City of San Diego has two state designated Enterprise Zones, within which businesses may claim significant state income tax credits. Tax credits may be claimed for the wages of qualified new employees and for major equipment purchases. Businesses within Enterprise Zones are also eligible for other unique tax incentives and fee reductions. The City of San Diego operates a Foreign Trade Zone along the US/Mexico border, which allows for reductions in import and export costs. The City also has a federally designated Enterprise Community, which authorizes a unique bond financing opportunity for qualifying businesses. Businesses within each of these special incentive zones may also qualify for Business Expansion and Retention Program assistance.
  
  
• Business Finance: The City of San Diego facilitates financing for various private business capital expansion projects eligible for tax-exempt conduit revenue private activity bonds where a significant economic development impact can be created, including Industrial Development Bonds for Manufacturers, Enterprise Zone Facility Bonds and Nonprofit Bonds. In addition, the City operates the EmTek (Emerging Technologies) Loan Fund, a niche loan program to assist promising small businesses' efforts to raise working capital to accelerate growth.
  
  
• Redevelopment Projects: The City of San Diego has 15 adopted project areas with three study areas, within which the Redevelopment Agency can exercise its land acquisition and financing authority to support commercial and housing projects that improve blighted and economically impacted communities.

In addition to the aforementioned business assistance activities, the City of San Diego supports numerous private non profit organizations, which in turn support, assist and promote business investment. The City of San Diego is the largest single investor in the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. The City also provides significant financial support to organizations offering specialized business assistance, such as the Union of Pan Asian Communities Small Business Program, Contracting Opportunity Center, community chambers of commerce, San Diego Film Commission, San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inner City Business Association, and other non profit entities. The City of San Diego took the lead in creating, and subsequently provided part of the operating support for the San Diego World Trade Center, San Diego Regional Technology Alliance, and San Diego Technology Incubator.

The San Diego region boasts a strong and diversified economy, with a base in high value added manufacturing and R&D. As such, it has earned accolades from Forbes, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and others for its business climate. Through its own programs and through its funding of private business supporting organizations, the City of San Diego continues to be a partner with the private sector in creating one of the world's best cities for business.