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LivingWages & Communities: Smarter Economic Development, LoWerThan Expected Costs <br />ployment rate in the �`}��'s, it adopted a living wage law to "formalize a strategy of [promoting] living <br />wage jobs."" As a result, Duluth now provides subsidies only to firms such as software and healthcare <br />companies that expand the city's base of better-paying jobs. The manager concluded that the �iving <br />wage (aw "sends a strong signal to policymakers that they need to seek higher wage jr��7c "•{ <br />In fact, seeking to maximize the number of <br />better-paying jobs supported by their busi- <br />ness subsidy programs, some economic <br />development agencies have extended living <br />wage requirements to subsidy projects not <br />actually covered by their local ordinances. <br />The Los Ange�es community development <br />agency has applied a living wage requirement <br />for developers seeking public subsidies for <br />retail projects that were not formally covered <br />under the city's living wage law. According to <br />a communiry development of3'iter, as a result <br />of these projects "webe set a baseline that <br />any redevelopment project of any size has to <br />[pay a living wage]. Anyone that deals with <br />us has got to pay their direct people a living <br />wage. And even if the [living wage law] does- <br />n't cover retail, it gets put on the table."" <br />A <br />Seeking to maximize the number <br />of better-paying jobs supported <br />by their programs, some economic <br />development agencies have extended <br />living wage requirements to subsidy <br />projects not actually covered by <br />their local ordinances. <br />` <br />San Antonio's living wage law not only provided the city with an incentive to focus on attracting high- <br />wage jobs, but also encouraged its economic development department to think strategically abouthow <br />to prepare local residents for these positions. Its living wage law helped San Antonio focus its tax <br />abatement pool on recruiting high-wage fiims such as Boeing Chase Bank and a commercial airline <br />overhaul cotnpany.56 Turning then to the task of equipping as many residents as possible wit}� the skills <br />necessary to be hired and advance in these jobs, San Antonio designed a workforce development pro- <br />gram that combined worker training financial assistance for students attending college and technical <br />schools, and apprenticeship placements. " <br />la <br />