PACOIMA : Banners Promote Enterprise Zone

City workers placed six banners along Van Nuys Boulevard on Monday to advertise the Pacoima enterprise zone to business owners who may not know they are eligible for tax breaks and low-interest loans.

Teresa Jones, an assistant manager of the enterprise zone, said periodic mailings by the city might miss some of the 1,200 businesses in the seven-square-mile zone, created to stimulate jobs and economic growth in Pacoima.

The yellow, red and blue banners, which cost $1,160, may help close the gap by encouraging merchants to call the city for further information.

“Since businesses come and go, new businesses may not know they’re in an enterprise zone,” said Jones, who works for the industrial and commercial development division of the Los Angeles Community Development Department.

In addition to the banners proclaiming “Welcome Pacoima Enterprise Zone,” city workers also hung two banners from light poles aimed at promoting unity. The red-white-and-blue banners stating “Peace and Respect on our Streets” mirrors the Los Angeles Police Department’s ribbon campaign urging residents to keep calm in case of civil unrest, said Bud Brown, a board member of the Foothill Advisory Booster Assn.