Yes, it’s true.  Our friends at the Shasta Metro Enterprise Zone have posted an updated address range list for the EZ’s Targeted Employment Area or “TEA.”
You ask, “What is a Targeted Employment Area?”
I answer, one of the many ways in which an employee can qualify to trigger California’s enterprise zone Hiring Credit for their employer is by residing within a Targeted Employment Area at the time of hire.  It is what is says — an area targeted by the enterprise zone for increased employment opportunities.  These are economically depressed residential areas that tend to suffer higher rates of unemployment.
Some California enterprise zones have a relatively small TEA. Some have no TEA at all. The Shasta Metro Enterprise Zone’s TEA is fairly large, however, and includes parts of Anderson, Burney, Cassel, Cottonwood, Dunsmuir, Fall River Mills, Hat Creek, Lakehead, McArthur, Old Station, Redding, Shasta Lake and many other areas of Shasta County.
TEA residency is just one of the many employee-eligibility categories that my firm reviews for our clients. Other categories include employees who are (a) receiving one or more forms of public assistance, (b) experiencing under-employment (low household income for their family size), (c) a Vietnam era veteran, disabled veteran, or a recently released veteran, (d) one of 8 different categories of dislocated worker, (e) an ex-felon or were convicted of a misdemeanor subject to incarceration, (f) receiving services through CalWORKS or the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), or (g) certified eligible under the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit (or “WOTC”) program.
The qualifying process can be complicated and lengthy.  Once identified, a qualification must then be fully documented according to standards defined by CA regulations. Only then can an application be filed with the enterprise zone administrator or vouchering agent. In response, the enterprise zone issues a “hiring voucher” stating that the employee has met the eligibility requirements.
I’ve been working with customers in the Shasta Metro Enterprise Zone for about seven years now.  Bonnie Westlake, the zone’s Program Advisor has a very positive outlook and is always a pleasure to work with.
The recently updated TEA ranges will make our work in that area of California a bit less complicated.  It’s good news for our clients.