Antelope Valley Jobs Study Surprises Some Officials

Nearly half of employees working in Palmdale and Lancaster commute from other areas outside the Antelope Valley, a study commissioned by the Greater Antelope Valley Economic Alliance has found. That number came as a shock to the alliance’s board of directors and its President Mel Layne because it was always assumed that more people were leaving to work in other areas of Southern California. After all, Layne said, on the freeway out of town to the south is nothing but taillights between 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. The far left lane on the southbound Antelope Valley Freeway is restricted to car pools during those hours, just as the northbound lane is restricted to car pooling during the hours of the evening commute. “It caught everybody a bit off guard,” Layne said. The next step for the alliance is taking those numbers and studying them further to determine specifically where the workers come from, their income level and their skill sets so that the region can adjust to creating a home-grown workforce. The first-ever study was based on data provided by the state’s Employment Development Department. The San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at California State University Northridge created maps showing where workers lived and worked. According to the study, 61,556 residents in Lancaster and Palmdale hold private primary (non-governmental) jobs. Of those, 17,100, or 27 percent, stay in the two cities with another 4 percent staying elsewhere in the Antelope Valley. Fifty-four percent commute to Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange counties, with the remaining 6 percent working in either San Bernardino or Riverside counties. Of the workers commuting to L.A. County, 2,800 work in Santa Clarita and 10,000 work in the San Fernando Valley. There are 41,000 private primary (non-governmental) jobs in Lancaster and Palmdale with 42 percent (17,150) held by people living in the cities and another 9 percent held by people living elsewhere in the Antelope Valley. Of the 48 percent commuting in from other areas, 24 percent (9,841) come from L.A., Ventura and Orange counties; 9 percent from either San Bernardino or Riverside counties; and the remaining 15 percent from outside the Southern California region. Lifestyle factors Layne concedes there is a lifestyle issue to factor in for those workers living outside the two cities. But commuters also tend to take less of an interest in the cities as a whole and businesses receive little to no benefit from the paychecks the commuting workers earn. “People who drive in take a big portion of their money back to where they live in somebody else’s economy,” Layne said. As president of Antelope Valley College, Jackie Fisher personally knows there are teachers at the school who commute from outside the Antelope Valley. The study is a good starting point to take a closer look at the reasons behind residents commuting out for their jobs, Fisher said, adding there may be industries that should be in the two cities but aren’t. “Once you have the fruit you need to peel off the layers to find out what is going on at the core,” said Fisher, who serves as a vice chair for the alliance.. Heavy on aerospace Palmdale Mayor James Ledford had not seen the study results but said because of the aerospace companies in the two cities it was not surprising that workers commute in. Lockheed Martin Co. and Northrop-Grumman are among the top five employers in the Antelope Valley, with Boeing coming in at a distant third, according to a 2007 Economic Roundtable report. He is curious, however, to know what other industries the city has that attracts out-of-towners to work there, Ledford said. According to the roundtable report, more than a quarter of the Palmdale workforce held sales and office jobs. The next highest categories were in professional occupations, service jobs, and manufacturing positions. In his opinion the city has a diversified work force that is attractive to helping the economic development of the area, Ledford said. What Palmdale and Lancaster also have to offer is a moderate cost of doing business. The 2006 real estate tax rate for both cities came in below those of Bakersfield, San Bernardino and Victorville. Layne hopes that figures like those will catch the eye of businesses in the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere looking to expand and relocate, especially since thousands of residents already work there who live in Palmdale and Lancaster. In recent years, Senior Systems Technology and U.S. Pole Inc. left the Valley for Palmdale. Delta Scientific Corp. moved from Valencia. “I fear there are some businesses in the San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles basin that are discouraged by the high cost and can’t get the industrial space they need when in fact it is right here,” Layne said. Antelope Valley Job Profile 61,556 employed residents of Lancaster and Palmdale (non-governmental) 27 percent work in Lancaster or Palmdale 4 percent work in other areas of the Antelope Valley 54 percent work in Los Angeles, Ventura or Orange Counties 6 percent work in San Bernardino or Riverside Counties 2,800 work in Santa Clarita 10,000 work in San Fernando Valley 41,008 non-governmental employees in Lancaster and Palmdale 42 percent live in Lancaster or Palmdale 9 percent live elsewhere in the Antelope Valley 24 percent live in Los Angeles, Ventura or Orange Counties 9 percent live in San Bernardino or Riverside Counties 15 percent live outside the Southern California Region Source: Greater Antelope Valley Economic Alliance