Antelope Valley News
Courtesy of Frank Donato
Fidelity National Title
Palmdale, CA 93551

Nov 4- While speaking at the Quartz Hill Chamber of Commerce, Palmdale Mayor, Jim Ledford, gave a “non-deniall” over the worst kept secret in the Antelope Valley: is Macy’s Dept store coming to the AV Mall? Two major big box sites remain open in the Mall as Gottschalks and Harris’s closed and vacated the Mall earlier this year. Ledford did say that one of the two sites will be filled soon, the old Gottschalks site at the east end of the Mall. Everyone expects that tenant to be Macy’s. One clue: on Nov 1st Macy’s ran an ad in the AV Press for its store in Valencia, an hour’s drive away. Also, Macy’s has taken over Gottschalks sites in Fresno and Visalia. As is customary, neither Macy’s nor Mall officials will comment on the rumor which probably means that the contract has not been finalized yet.

Mayor Jim Ledford also discussed:

- the city’s NEW Charter status which will allow it to include a local preference in awarding contracts, hiring staff, and selecting vendors. Charter status gives the City a bit more independence from the state. Charter status will create more jobs locally.

- the opening of the new Regional Medical Center in May of 2010 and the jobs it will create, some 750 full time positions.

- the 570 megawatt power plant at 10th St East and Ave M. Ledford said that he is hopeful that permitting for the plant will be completed next year, at which time the City will seek a partner to build & operate the plant. The Mayor said that the plant was key to getting more jobs at Plant 42. It is the city’s plan to offer below market prices for its electricity to attract more business to Plant 42.

- the city’s efforts to land a passenger air carrier to Palmdale’s Air Terminal. With two more years remaining on the contract for LAWA to operate the air terminal, Ledford says the City wants to take it over at that time. Ledford said that AV residents buy 680k tickets per year to fly out of other airports. Ledford prefers discount airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest Airlines as a good fit for the region. LAWA’s lease of the Palmdale air terminal from the Air Force runs out in March 2011. At that time, or sooner if LAWA will step out, the City of Palmdale wants to lease the 5,000 sq ft air terminal and have complete control over the air terminal’s future.

Nov 13- Disney/ABC studios is planning to build a new production studio on 56 acres of the 890 they own in the Santa Clarita Valley, east of the AV Fwy 14 and north of Placerita Canyon Rd. Studio space in the Los
Angeles area has a very lean vacancy rate- hovering around the 1% level. The studio will have 195 acres of outdoor filming area along with 639 acres of natural backdrop. The studio will include six pairs of soundstages, production offices, talent bungalows, a commissary, administration offices, production ships, production storage, and support facilities. Each soundstage will be 18,000 sq feet. At build out the facility will provide 2,854 full time jobs and have a direct economic impact of $522M per year throughout Los Angeles County.

One major beneficiary of the new studio will be the Antelope Valley, where film and TV shows are shot every year. Creation of the new studio, just down the Fwy 14, will result in more filming in the High Desert area. Construction of the studio will also be good for California, as it will help keep the production of films and TV shows in California.

Nov 17- The Greater AV Economic Alliance holds a 10 year anniversary celebration at the Hilton Garden Hotel in Palmdale, located on the north rim of the AV mall. GAVEA officials say, that since its inception, it has had a major role in bringing 8,400 jobs and $472.4M per year in new wealth to the AV. In the early years of GAVEA, one of the first things members did was create and obtain AV specific demographic data.

County wide data, which included high cost areas like Los Angeles and Long Beach, skewed the actual cost of housing and living costs in the AV. With the help of various Chambers, that data was collected and created for the first time. GAVEA produces annually the Economic Roundtable Report on the AV’s demographics. GAVEA also releases reports on the AV’s industrial base, space availability, newest businesses, regional lifestyle amenities, as well as a directory of area industries and their products. The mission of GAVEA is to grow, retain, and attract business, but they do not close deals. When GAVEA acquires a lead, they hand it over to the cities. GAVEA is in the process of adding a searchable data base to its web site to help businesses find goods and services among its 12,000 businesses based in the AV. GAVEA web site is: http://www.AVeconomy.org

Nov 20 – Over a decade in the making, from proposed to planning to funding to actual construction, the AV Veterans Home is officially completed and holds opening ceremonies. Located at the NWC of 30th West & Ave I, the $27M facility will be home to 60 retired veterans. One thousand well-wishers attended the opening ceremonies. Veterans from WWII mixed with vets from Vietnam and Desert Storm as well as some youngsters recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. The facility is named after William J. “Pete” Knight who was a veteran of the Korean War and a long time test pilot thereafter, and resided in the AV his entire adult life. In the AV, Knight served as a state assemblyman and a state Senator. Knight passed away a few years ago and during his political career was a major factor in raising the awareness for the need of a Vet’s Home in the AV. The facility will be run by the California Dept of Veterans Affairs. Officials say that 150k vets live within 50 miles of the AV.

Nov 26- Edison Mission Energy, the power generation arm of Edison International, has applied through Los Angeles County for a permit to build a 150 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant at 240th St East, near Avenue S. A plant of 150 megawatts can produce enough electricity for 50,000 homes. The 1,100 acre site is currently being farmed by Bolthouse Farms. Edison says that it is easier to gain environmental approvals if the land has already been “disturbed” by farming, versus being pristine desert land. The area is isolated and sparsely populated. The nearby Lake Los Angeles Town Council has met and approves of the project. The project will consist of 2M solar panels mounted on 4 to 8 foot posts and does not require water for operation. The solar panels last 25 years and then are recycled. Approval for permitting is hoped for by late 2010. The site will be connected to the power grid on Hwy 18, ten miles to the east. The three components needed for such a project are: county permit to build, a power purchase agreement to sell
the electricity produced, and the proper connection lines with the utility.

Dec 1- A group of 15 business people from China visit Palmdale and are taken on a tour by Mayor Jim Ledford. The group included leaders from the Chinese auto industry from Shenyang, located in the NE portion of the country. While no specifics were discussed, industries and products discussed were fertilizer, vitamins, and auto manufacturing. The meeting was mostly relationship building, common in the far east. Shenyang is the largest city in NE China and is the political, economic, and cultural center of the area. One of the Chinese companies looking for a US manufacturing site is BYD, which means Build Your Dream. BYD is Chinese automaker of all electric cars. The chairman of BYD, according to Forbes magazine, has a net worth of $5.8B. Abroad in 2009, the Chinese will invest $50B. Both the Chinese and Korean’s are interested in the AV due to its proximity to the Los Angeles ports. In a 2007 survey, the Los Angeles economic Development Corp said they found 50 foreign owned businesses in the AV with a combined annual payroll of $32M. Those 50 foreign firms represented 1.1% of all foreign firms located in Los Angeles County.