LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today issued the following statement on the retirement of First Deputy Mayor and CEO of the Office of Economic and Business Policy Austin Beutner. “At the start of my second term, I promised to make job creation job number one. Austin Beutner accepted the challenge and together we transformed the way this City approaches job creation. As a result, we no longer let the palm trees do our marketing. Together, we’ve made LA more business-friendly, from cutting red tape to providing tax breaks for job creation to engaging in sales calls to our customers.
We have also developed an affluence of innovative economic business policies that have expanded State Enterprise Zones, empowered small businesses, created tax relief for internet companies and new businesses, and designated more investment towards local businesses. Finally, we have had large employers with ripe potential for job growth such as Google, Target, and Mission Foods move to Los Angeles.
The Office of Economic and Business Policy will continue to leverage every City resource at our disposal to attract businesses and the jobs that come with them to Los Angeles. I thank Austin for all of his hard work and wish him well.”
