English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Santa Ana, CA

The City of Santa is hosting a Business Start-Up Workshop on October 8, 2024 at 12:00pm – 1:30pm. at the Santa Ana City Hall, located at 1st Floor, Room 1600.

Please register in advance here.

Map for Parking Location//Mapa de ubicación del estacionamiento:

This event is hosted by the City of Santa Ana’s Economic Development Division.

10 Steps to Starting Your Business

To help you through the process of starting your own business, we’ve put together a quick 10-step guide.

Contact the City of Santa Ana’s Economic Development Division:

The Economic Development Division has information on business incentives, starting a new business, job training and placement assistance, and export development assistance. We are located at 20 Civic Center Plaza Drive, 6th Floor, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

We also assist businesses wishing to locate or expand by identifying possible locations and offering incentives. Call to find out if your prospective site is located in the Enterprise Zone, an area that offers tax benefits.

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers free workshops and consulting services to help your business start, grow, and succeed. Services include marketing, business planning, funding, and management. We encourage all of our Santa Ana businesses and entrepreneurs to engage with the SBDC for all business support needs.

SCORE Orange County, the nation’s top volunteer network and SBA partner since 1964. We provide free expert mentoring, comprehensive workshops on key topics like start-up essentials, marketing, and finance, and offer smart online tools and templates. Visit our website to access bilingual mentors and resources designed to enhance the success of your Santa Ana business.

Contact the City of Santa Ana’s Planning and Building Agency:

The City has established zoning ordinances for both home-based businesses and commercial addresses.

Contact the Orange County Clerk Recorder:

If you intend to name your firm anything other than your own name, you must file a fictitious business name, also called a dba (Doing Business As).

Reach out to the City of Santa Ana’s Business Tax Office:

Any person operating a business in the City must obtain a business license and pay an annual business license tax.

The Economic Development Division and Business Tax Office can help you determine what other permits or licenses you may need. Contact the appropriate offices listed below.

If your business might emit greenhouse gas emissions, you may need to seek regulatory approval through the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

If you are filing as a corporation, S Corporation, Partnership, or limited liability company, you must register with the Secretary of State.

Permits zoning

For questions about zoning, environmental review, land use and conditional use permits. call (714) 647-5804.

Planning and building

For questions about plan check, mechanical and electrical permits, call (714) 647-5804.

Business license

For questions about obtaining your business license, call (714) 647-5447.

For questions on public right-of-way, sanitation and recycling, call (714) 647-5690.

For questions about hazardous materials, underground storage tanks and fire investigation, call (714) 573-6000.

Permit assistance team

For questions about which permit to obtain, call (714) 647-5445.

To obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN), contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

A partnership, corporation, or a sole proprietorship with employees requires a federal EIN. A sole proprietorship without employees can use the owner’s social security number.

Contact the Employment Development Department.

The same rules generally apply for a state employer payroll tax account number as for a Federal Tax I.D. number. Please refer to the item above.

Separate business and personal accounting is essential when you file your tax return.

Reach out to the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center. The Small Business Development Center offers free workshops and consulting services to help your business start, grow, and succeed. Services include marketing, business planning, funding, and management. We encourage all of our Santa Ana businesses and entrepreneurs to engage with the SBDC and SCOR for all business support needs.

SBDC

SCORE Orange County

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- As electric vehicle adoption moves along, so does public EV quick charging, albeit at a slower rate so far.

You may have seen quick chargers in a parking lot somewhere, out by themselves in a row. Now, a new concept will act as a waystation while your battery is getting filled.

"We thought, there has to be a better way. We need to have purpose-built charging centers for EV drivers," said Bill Reid, chairman and CEO of Rove Charging.

So instead of just sitting in your car, the Rove Charging Center is somewhat like a terminal at an airport. I'll be an area to chill out with restrooms, and you can get something to eat or drink at what's basically a mini Gelson's Market.

"Unlike a traditional convenience store, our consumer is going to have a little more time. So to be able to have a fresh, in-store made green salad, or a sandwich, or sushi that's delivered fresh each and every day," said Ryan Adams, president and CEO of Gelson's.

Traveling with a pet? There's a restroom for them, too. And if your clean air vehicle is getting a little dirty, an on-site drive-through car wash is part of the facility. Lots of amenities in a secure environment. Ah, but what's the electricity cost at this upscale space?

"We have what we think is a premium product, but at a competitive price. Pricing is somewhere between 45 cents a kilowatt-hour, to 65 cents a kilowatt-hour depending on time of day," Reid noted.

We keep hearing horror stories about out-of-order charging stations and the ensuing frustration for EV drivers needing to charge. Rove promises quick fixes if that happens.

"Within four hours. But we also have electronic access to each of the chargers and frequently, all you need to do is reboot the charger," said Reid.

The 40 charging spots offer connections to any kind of EV, and the charging and lounge are available 24/7.

The first Rove station will be opening on Oct. 15 and is located right off the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana. The company plans to open more locations in Southern California soon, and they too will be right near freeway corridors.

MORE: How this shared EV platform is key to future electric car offerings

Rove, a new developer of full-service charging stations, has finished construction of its first charging station in Santa Ana, California, and invited us for a sneak peek ahead of its opening this month. The station includes 40 charging spots, a grocery store, indoor and outdoor seating, a car wash, and even a small dog park.

We first heard about Rove several years ago, and attended its groundbreaking for this site last year. The company plans several other sites around Southern California, but Santa Ana is the first to open.

Now, almost exactly a year later, the station is ready to open up to the public, offering a “full service” experience unlike any other charger we’ve seen yet.

The station aims to give EV drivers access to the types of services that might be useful on a longer charging stop, rather than just giving people access to chargers and letting them fend for themselves otherwise.

So, to start with, the site includes 40 charging points, with every format you might want to DC charge with. There are 28 V4 Tesla Superchargers (one of the first third-party Tesla Superchargers to open) which will soon be added to Tesla’s in-car navigation, each of which is equipped with a Magic Dock. In addition, there are 12 CCS chargers – 2 350kW chargers, and 10 184kW chargers (each with its own power, no shared power). The site even includes two CHAdeMO chargers!

Rove has maintained flexibility on these chargers too, and may install different heads on the charging cables as the market evolves. Each 184kW charger has two heads already, for different sides of the vehicle, but these could be replaced by 1 NACS and 1 CCS in the future.

These chargers are partially fueled by a large, 222kW solar canopy which provides shade for vehicles and power to offset vehicle charging or to charge the 4MWh of on-site battery storage. Battery storage helps to reduce peaks in demand and balance out loads and pricing – though this isn’t a particularly cheap charging stop, at 58 cents per kWh, which can be paid for through the Rove app or tapping your credit card.

But beside all these chargers there’s a large building, with the centerpiece being a small Gelson’s market. Gelson’s is a Southern California grocery store chain that mostly focuses on “upscale” locations and high quality – with prices that come along with.

So the store includes fresh fare like freshly-cut fruit, sandwiches, baked goods and even sushi, and definitely feels like a nicer experience than your typical gas station convenience store.

Gelson’s is calling the concept “ReCharge by Gelson’s,” and it’s the first store of this type the company has opened. They plan to partner at Rove’s future locations as well.

Beside the Gelson’s, Rove has included a lounge with tables and free wifi, for those who’d like to use their charging time to check up on emails or something of the sort. There’s outdoor and indoor seating available, and the site will have 24/7 security and clean bathrooms.

This particular site also has a car wash and fenced area for dogs. Rove will have different features for each site – for example, a future site in Corona will have larger parking spots for bigger vehicle. So we won’t necessarily see car washes and dog parks at every site site, but this one got the whole shebang.

And as for those things that you never get a chance to do in your EV since you never go to gas stations anymore, the site also has a complimentary vacuum, air, and windshield washer station.

The new location is just off the 5 freeway in Santa Ana, at 1008 E 17th Street. It officially opens on October 15th, though will have some soft-launch events over the course of the next couple weeks.

Rove is planning to expand elsewhere in Southern California next, with sites planned in Costa Mesa, Torrance, Corona and Long Beach, which should be opening roughly in that order. The company would like to expand outside of Southern California in the future, but that’s a long way away.

Electrek’s Take

We love to see concepts like these. There’s a lot of talk about EV charging being difficult, but for those of us who have taken EVs on roadtrips, it’s often a pleasant experience anyway. As long as there are clean chargers with something to do nearby, you really don’t feel restricted by the time you spend charging.

For example, I went on a 2,200 mile roadtrip with no prep, and never felt like I had to wait on my car to charge. This is because I stopped at some excellent charging stops (shoutout to my favorite charging stop at the Supercharger in Harrisburg, Oregon, run by Olsen Run Winery) which really improved the process.

The thing is, EV charging could be such an opportunity for businesses to offer services to captive customers who are happy to have something to do, and often won’t mind spending a few bucks anyway. There are some businesses who have already learned to take advantage of this, but it’s been a bit of a patchwork so far.

Rove shows how a business could provide all of these services under one roof. And we think this concept would work in a wide variety of areas. Gas stations already have something similar, with Buc-ee’s style travel stops, and people enjoy stopping at those even though they’re not waiting for their car to fill up. So why not offer something similar for EVs, and kill off all the complaints about EV charging being somehow inferior or weird or different?

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Santa Ana’s Metro Town Square mall near South Coast Plaza will soon be converted into thousands of new homes, senior housing, cafes, shops, restaurants, hotel rooms, a grocer and open space.

It’s a development that officials say will be an economic driver for the city.

It comes as cities across Southern California like Brea, Westminster, Buena Park and Laguna Hills have been moving to redevelop into a mix of homes and retail shops.

[Read: Are Aging Malls Key to Boosting Affordable Housing Opportunities Across Southern California?]

On Tuesday, Santa Ana City Council members voted 6-0 on the project, dubbed Related Bristol, which they expect will bring in millions in annual tax revenue as officials brace for a massive decrease in Measure X, a 1.5% sales tax increase approved in 2018.

Originally slated to be approved last month, council members kicked the vote back by a couple weeks after some labor union leaders said they didn’t have agreements with the developers – giving the developers more opportunities to meet with labor union leaders.

[Read: Should Large Housing, Retail Developments Built in OC Require Local Union Labor?]

Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan, who is running for reelection and is endorsed by labor unions like the LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council, recused herself from the vote due to a conflict of interest with her employer Rutan & Tucker, a law firm.

Councilman Phil Bacerra, who represents the ward the development project will be built in, said the development will help the city meet its state-mandated housing goals and bring in millions in new taxes.

“This project will be a walkable community filled with residences, shops, restaurants, cafes, outdoor spaces and experiences just across the street from an international shopping destination – that being South Coast Plaza,” said Bacerra, who was also endorsed by the building trades council in 2022.

“The project – I’m very sure will be a destination of its own.”

Related California, the developers behind the proposal, say the project will be the largest private investment in the city, creating almost 6,000 construction jobs and is expected to bring in close to $11 million new tax revenue for the city.

Beyond that, developers are also offering $40 million to the city, which includes $22 million as part of a community benefit fund and $18 million for affordable housing.

It comes after officials warned earlier this year of losing $30 million in annual sales tax when Measure X begins sunsetting in five years.

Bacerra asked that a portion of the $22 million be prioritized for a community center in the ward he represents to offset the impact the project will have on the life of residents living there.

“Every other part of the city has the ability to enjoy a community center. So I’m hoping that Ward Four, through such a transformative project, will have its opportunity to finally secure a community center,” he said.

Councilman David Penaloza, also backed by the building trades council in 2022, spoke in support of the project, arguing officials have to look at the bigger picture.

“There’s going to be a lot of economic drive for this city once this is all said and done,” he said at Tuesday’s meeting. “It’s going to bring hundreds and hundreds of jobs to the area.”

Business Interests & Unions Weigh in on Related Bristol

Officials were expected to approve the development last month, but instead voted to delay approving the project after some union representatives raised concerns that developers hadn’t reached an agreement with the LA/OC Building trades council.

Meanwhile, representatives from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce OC, a local hotel worker union, and the OC Business Council have spoken at public meetings in support of officials approving the project.

Sylvia Pizarrosa, a former chairwoman for the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, spoke on behalf of current chamber CEO Reuben Franco at Tuesday’s meeting, saying the city needs Related Bristol.

“The growth and prosperity of Santa Ana is crucial to Orange County’s future. Related Bristol will attract new investment and opportunity to the heart of Orange County for decades to come,” she said.

An attorney on behalf of the Western State Regional Council of Carpenters also wrote a letter to the council in support of the project.

But not all local labor representatives were on board with the project Tuesday evening.

Doug Mangione, political director for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 441, said he was still against the redevelopment because that union didn’t get a contract.

“My members aren’t going to work there. The sheet metal workers aren’t going to work there. Iron workers, operating engineers – there are some people that aren’t going to work there,” he said. “So we are not all that happy about this.”

Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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th annual Fiestas Patrias festival and parade with a return to the Downtown Santa Ana historic district.

The Fiestas Patrias festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 12 to 11 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 15, from 12 to 10 p.m. on 4th Street. The Fiestas Patrias parade will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 15 at the cross streets of Main Street and Washington Avenue, and will continue along Main Street to Santa Ana Boulevard, ending by 12 p.m. right before the Fiestas Patrias festival.

On Sept. 15, the City of Santa Ana will host a ceremonial El Grito de Independencia (Cry of Independence) beginning at 7 p.m. on the festival’s main stage. Mexico’s official El Grito ceremony takes place on Sept. 15 and honors the traditional call to arms on the eve of Mexican Independence Day. It is a synchronized call that dates back to 1810 and celebrates the anniversary of the fight for Mexican independence.

“We’re thrilled to bring Fiestas Patrias back to its traditional home in Downtown Santa Ana,” Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. “Everyone is invited to join us for an incredible lineup of performers, a carnival and fun activities for the whole family, and a vivid display of our Mexican and Latin American cultures in the parade through the heart of our city.”

Throughout the entire weekend, the Fiestas Patrias festival will have a main stage that will welcome a variety of talented performers, including students, dance groups, local community groups, and international musical acts. Families can also look forward to a fun-filled carnival with exciting mechanical rides, food vendors, and shopping. Tickets for carnival rides will be available for purchase on-site at ticket booths.

To apply for the interest list to be an exhibitor, vendor, or community performer at the Fiestas Patrias Festival, please visit the Fiestas Patrias website. Interest lists are open until Aug. 20 at 5 p.m.

Stay tuned for more exciting news to come, as we announce the headlining performers and other event details. Visit the Fiestas Patrias website, and follow the City of Santa Ana and Santa Ana Parks, Recreation and Community Services on social media for the latest event news.