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| Doing Business in Santa Monica |
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This section is
intended to be a source of information for
businesses looking to come to Santa Monica,
as well as for businesses already here. If
you can't find what you need below, please don't hesitate to
contact the City of Santa
Monica Economic Development team via
e-mail
(econdev@smgov.net) or call us at (310) 458-8906.
NEWS & EVENTS
FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES...
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Sustainable Quality Awards
2011--Weds, April 27th at 11
a.m.
at Sheraton Delfina.
For more info + tickets,
click here.
FREE Clean
Energy Training
available for
small
business and non-profits
(employees), sole
proprietors
& independent
contractors
in areas of solar, energy
efficiency and audits.
The CEWTP program assists in
preparation for the NABCEP,
BPI, HERS, CALCERT, RESNET ,
and others. Offered by
Santa Monica
College's Workforce and
Economic Development Office.
The first
cycle of training begins on
the following dates at the SMC
Bundy Campus:
April 16th
(Saturday 9-5):
Intro to
Solar, Part 1 (First of 3
Parts)
and
April 23rd
(Saturday 9-5): Intro
to Energy Efficiency and
Auditing, Part 1 (First of 3
Parts).
For more info,
click here.
 Santa
Monica
Small
Business
Development
Center's
April
2011 Business
Workshops--Check
this
site for
the list
of
current
workshops
for
small
businesses,
entrepreneurs
and
folks
thinking
about
opening
a
business.
Most
workshops
are held
at the
Santa
Monica
SBDC's Bundy
Campus, 3171 S. Bundy
(adjacent
SM
Airport).
For more
info +
registration
> >
Congratulations
to
Santa
Monica
Place,
winner
of "Best
Retail
Project
of 2011"
by the
Los
Angeles
Business
Journal's
Commercial
Real
Estate
Awards!
LOCAL
BUSINESS
RESOURCES
UPDATE
NEW!
Passport
to Santa Monica--Produced
by the
Santa Monica Alliance,
a
partnership of the City of
Santa Monica and the Santa
Monica Chamber of Commerce,
to guide your business to
success. Whether
you're looking for the ideal
home to establish your
business, or for competitive
ways to grow, you can rely
on the Santa Monica
Alliance.
Click here > > >
Also be sure to check out
our NEW SM Alliance website:
www.SantaMonicaAlliance.com.
LOANS
AVAILABLE FOR SMALL
BUSINESSES--The
10,000 Small Businesses is a
$50 million initiative,
launched by Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc., to help unlock
growth and job creation
potential of 10k small
businesses across the US
through greater access to
bus-
iness
education, financial capital
and business support
services. Loans of
$50,000 - $400,000 are
available. For more
information, visit:
http://www.vedc.org/GoldmanSachs_termsheet.html
Did you
know that the
IRS Small Business Tax
Center has
online
resources to
help small
businesses?
The
Small Business and Self
Employed Tax Center
contains info on starting a
business with links to
business
events, IRS Forms, etc.
The
Restaurants Tax Center
has tax tips and trends and
statistics for the
Restaurant industry. For
stats on the Entertainment Industry, check out
the
Entertainment Tax Center.
They even offer a
Virtual Small Business Tax
Workshop
designed to assist the new
small business owner learn
their
tax rights and
responsibilities (also
available on DVD).
Call For Artists
:
Art Carts Available for
Rent on the Third Street
Promenade.
For more information,
visit our Space +
Opportunities section of
this site (click
here).
Business Assistance for
Santa Monica Retailers!
The Santa Monica Small
Business Development Center
offers FREE
confidential business
counseling, Quick Community
Express Loans,
low cost business-growing
workshops, lease
modification assistance,
customized strategic
planning and customized
business reports to assist
with short and long-term
finance planning.
Click here to download the
flyer. For more
info,
www.smc.edu/sbdc or
contact (310) 434-3566.
Think
Santa Monica first!
Many of the everyday items,
services and specialty products that you may head out of
town for are right here at home - in Santa Monica! And your
purchases are doing more good than you think - buying local
supports a sustainable Santa Monica, nurtures the community
and keeps dollars in Santa Monica's economy. For more information on Buy Local
Santa Monica, to sign up to the campaign, fill out a survey
or find a local
business...visit
www.buylocalsantamonica.com
and sign up to be a Fan
@
www.facebook.com/buylocalsm
or follow us @www.twitter.com/buylocalsm!
Santa
Monica Businesses Voted "The Best Places to Work in L.A!"
Congratulations
to the following Santa
Monica companies, who
were recently featured
in the LA Business
Journal as "Best
Places to Work in LA"--Bryan Cave LLP,
Blitz, Cornerstone
OnDemand, Edmunds.com
Inc., M David Paul & Associates, Morley Builders,
Murphy O'Brien Inc., The
Phelps Group and RAND
Corp. The award ceremony took place on
August 4, 2010 at the Biltmore Hotel.
Congratulations
to the 2010 Sustainable
Quality Award Winners!
The Grand Prize
awards
went to Co-opportunity and
Natural Resources Defense
Council.
Excellence in Stewardship
of
the
Natural Environment
award winners: Pacific
Park, , Sheraton Delfina,
Unitarian Universalist
Community Church and West LA
Print; Excellence in
Social Responsibility
award winners: Gensler,
Living Homes, Sheraton
Delfina, Unitarian
Universalist Community Church, West LA Print.
Excellence in Sustainable
Economic Development
award winner: Flair
Cleaners. For more
info about
the SQA,
click here.
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 FREE
customer service training for local
businesses....
"I
am Santa Monica"
is an
interactive workshop designed to encourage
and empower Santa Monica businesses and
their employees to become better informed
about Santa Monica and all it has to offer.
It's a great opportunity to promote your
business, provide free training to your
employees and to connect with the community
where you work. To learn more,
click here
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SANTA MONICA BUSINESS INFORMATION,
ADVICE AND SUPPORT
Business
Assistance |
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Santa
Monica Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce
Finding a Property in Santa Monica--a list
of commercial brokers
Opening
a Business in Santa Monica (Flow Chart) -
Use this chart to familiarize yourself
with the City's regulatory process BEFORE
you sign that lease!
 “Doing
Business in Santa Monica Made Easy"--Useful
information for opening a business in Santa
Monica, including an overview of planning,
zoning, permits, licenses and
sustainability. Material presented at
a recent "Doing Business" workshop held by City
in collaboration with Santa Monica's Small
Business Development Center.
Useful Contacts for Local Businesses
and the
WEC
Small Business Toolkit |
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Business
Climate - Economics & Demographics |
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Economic and Demographic Profile
For further information or statistics on Santa Monica,
click here
to view the City of Santa Monica 2009-2010
Community Profile. If you require
additional information, contact us at
EconDevel@smgov.net or call (310) 458-8906. |
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Business
Fees, Licenses and Special Districts |
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Business Classifications--For business classifications and fee
categories, see Section VI in the
Municipal Code. |
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Business License Information--Contact information: (310) 458-8745 or email:
license@smgov.net |
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If you have a business in certain retail areas
of the City,
you may benefit from being associated with a
business improvement district. Likewise, if you own
property within certain assessment areas, or
have a triple net lease, you might need to pay assessments. The category "Taxes" includes Transient
Occupancy Taxes, Sales Taxes, and Utility
Taxes. See above for more info on Business License taxes.
You might be subject to
other taxes as well; it's best to consult
your tax advisor, accountant, or industry's
professional organizations to determine
which will apply.
Assessment Districts:
Downtown Mall Assessment District and
Parking Developer Fee
Business Improvement
Districts or Areas:
Downtown Santa Monica Property Based Assessment
District (PBAD)
Bayside & Downtown Mall Operations &
Maintenance District
Central Business District
Main Street Business Improvement Area
Main Street Lighting and Sidewalk Cleaning
Assessment Area
Montana Avenue Business Improvement Area
Pico Boulevard Business Improvement District
Taxes |
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Environmental & Public
Works |
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Your source for information relating to
building permits and City services such as
Engineering and Public Works, Solid
Waste
Management, Street Maintenance, Utilities,
and Green Buildings Design and Construction
Guidelines.
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Construction Approval Process A
helpful guide if you need to do
construction.
Business Going Green: certification,
free consulting, grants and awards programs.
Environmental, Recycling and Sustainable
City Programs
Environmental Health and Food Safety
Guidelines.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public
Health conducts retail and wholesale food
inspections for the City of Santa Monica.
This site contains
a variety of environmental health information
for businesses, including food safety
guidelines, food inspection results
and pest
control tips. |
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Planning Information |
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Signage Requirements--To determine what kind and size of
signage you may use for your business,
we recommend that you review the Sign Code
section of the Municipal code.
Zoning Information--To
find out what zoning applies to your
business location see the
Zoning District Map and GIS Information.
For further details on the City's
Zoning Regulations And Districts
click here.
For further information, please contact the
Planning Department at (310) 458-8341 |
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Transportation Management Office Division |
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The City of Santa
Monica and local businesses are committed to
working together to improve air quality and
reduce traffic congestion in Santa Monica.
Ordinance 1604 was designed to help reduce
commute trips made by employees. It applies
to businesses with 10 or more employees.
This link also provides advice on ride
sharing, parking permits and traffic
management plans. For more
information, contact (310) 458-8291.
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This page was last modified on
04/06/2011
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