Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Regional Commerce, Job Plan Urged for Antelope Valley

Officials from Palmdale, Lancaster and the county should pool their resources more efficiently to attract new industry and create jobs in the area, a consulting firm has urged.

PHH Fantus Consulting, a Chicago firm hired by local officials to determine how to jump-start Antelope Valley’s economy, released the results of its $150,000 study Thursday at a meeting in Palmdale.

The firm urged local officials to set up an Antelope Valley Regional Partnership to coordinate efforts to retain existing businesses and lure new ones to the high desert.

“In essence, this study institutionalizes regional cooperation,” said Vern Lawson, executive director of the Antelope Valley Local Development Corp. “There has never been a road map or blueprint for that.”

Lawson’s organization, which markets the area to prospective employers, joined the two cities in paying for the study. Local leaders are eager to create more jobs because thousands of Antelope Valley residents now must commute long distances to workplaces in the Los Angeles area.

In its report, the consultants said the Antelope Valley has “a substantial amount of human energy devoted to economic development. Unfortunately, because of lack of coordination, our analysis indicates that duplication of effort exists in some areas.

“Conversely, little comprehensive effort is occurring in other areas, such as convention, tourism and film attraction.”

To eliminate the duplication, the consultants recommended establishing the regional partnership, which would include representatives from the two cities, the county, Antelope Valley College and the private sector.

This group would assign or keep track of economic development tasks handled by cities and organizations to assure their efforts are conducted efficiently.

“The goal isn’t to take over projects that other groups are working on,” Lancaster Councilman George Runner said. “It’s to sanction and at times fund. It’s not a competitive role; it’s a steering role.”

Runner believes the Lancaster City Council will endorse the formation of the regional partnership but does not know how much the council will agree to spend on it.

The consultants recommended that the two cities and the Economic Development Corp. together provide up to $300,000, mainly to cover marketing and business research activities.

The consultants’ other key recommendation was to create an Antelope Valley Tourism and Film Commission, which would help bring more conventions and film crews to the area. This group would be financed by the two cities and their chambers of commerce.