Santa Fe Springs, Calif. — The City of Santa Fe Springs formally launched its Business Growth and Attraction Program on Thursday, October 16, during a high-profile luncheon at the historic Clarke Estate, positioning the city to lead California’s next chapter of industrial and commercial innovation.
The invitation-only event brought together local and state leaders, developers, corporate executives, and economists to discuss how cities can keep businesses rooted in California while competing with lower-cost states such as Texas, Arizona, and Tennessee.
Mayor William K. Rounds and City Manager René Bobadilla opened the program by underscoring the city’s role as an economic powerhouse—home to more than 54.7 million square feet of industrial and commercial space, the densest concentration of its kind in Los Angeles County. Despite occupying just 0.2 percent of the county’s land area, Santa Fe Springs accounts for more than six percent of its total industrial footprint, a concentration unmatched anywhere else in Southern California.
Mayor Rounds announced a comprehensive suite of nearly two dozen new business incentives, including low-interest loans, sales-tax rebates, rent and relocation subsidies, fast-tracked permitting that can reduce approval times by up to 50 percent, and new Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) opportunities for sustainability and infrastructure projects. Together, the tools are designed to modernize local industry, speed up construction timelines, and cut the cost of doing business.
“These programs will expand growth and unlock opportunity,” said Rounds. “Together with our BIG 4 partners—the Cities of Commerce, Industry, and Vernon—we’re moving collaboratively to shape the future of economic development in Los Angeles County for generations to come. Our shared vision is to make Santa Fe Springs a vibrant live-work-play environment, defined not only by its industrial strength but also as a premier destination and community hub.”
The new initiative will advance in coordination with the BIG 4 partnership, a formal alliance among Santa Fe Springs, Commerce, Industry, and Vernon created through a newly adopted Memorandum of Understanding. The coalition gives the region’s most industrialized cities a unified voice in Sacramento and Washington. Combined, the four cities represent just 0.69 percent of L.A. County’s footprint yet contain more than 24 percent of its total industrial square footage—a scale that City Manager Bobadilla called “the heartbeat of Southern California’s economy.”
“Working together, we’re leveraging our collective strength to attract new industries, create jobs, and maintain California’s competitive edge,” said Bobadilla. “These incentives streamline processes and offer innovative public-private financing options that will allow us to compete directly with other states while shaping a stronger, more resilient economic future for Southern California.”
Congresswoman Linda Sánchez delivered a virtual keynote address, praising the city’s leadership and regional collaboration. “California’s strength has always come from its innovation, its diversity, and its communities working together,” Sánchez said. “When cities, businesses, and local partners collaborate, we create opportunities—better jobs, thriving industries, and stronger neighborhoods. With strong local leadership like what we see in Santa Fe Springs, we can make sure that growth benefits everyone.”
The luncheon featured a panel discussion titled “What Businesses Really Need to Succeed in California,” moderated by Dr. Wesley Yin, UCLA professor and former chief economist for the White House Office of Management and Budget. Panelists included Ron Frierson, Amazon’s Director of Economic Development for the Western U.S.; Leandro Tyberg, President and Co-Founder of Primestor Development; and Stephane Wandel, Executive Director of Acquisitions and Development at The Orden Company.
Panelists acknowledged California’s strengths but also its challenges. “Many businesses operate here because of the state’s size and talent base, but that doesn’t mean they have to stay,” said Frierson. “When leaders actively incentivize growth, it’s a step in the right direction.” Wandel added that job retention has become difficult amid rising costs. “If you’re a business owner looking to move into a city, you need space—and that’s becoming harder to find and afford.” Tyberg noted that high costs threaten small business survival, saying, “We need to focus on streamlining, research, and communities. This focus is exactly where Primestor needs to be.”
The event concluded with remarks from State Senator Bob Archuleta, who represents the 32nd District, praising the coalition’s commitment to small businesses. “The BIG 4—we are the heartbeat of Southern California, and the pendulum is swinging,” Archuleta said. “We’re listening to small businesses and making it easier for them.”
The city’s new incentive framework, previewed in the Santa Fe Springs Business Incentives Fact Sheet, includes fee waivers, tax credits, and concierge-style permitting assistance—all part of a push to make Santa Fe Springs the most business-friendly industrial city in California. Officials also previewed a planned downtown district featuring new mixed-use housing, retail, office, and hospitality projects designed to enhance quality of life for residents and employees.
As Mayor Rounds summarized, “Santa Fe Springs is showing that you don’t have to leave California to grow—you just have to find the right city.”