Simi Hopes Trial Proves a Business Lure : Economy: New name recognition with employers may result from the King beating case verdicts, officials say.

Renewing its campaign to attract employers, Simi Valley leaders on Friday said the city may actually benefit from some of the attention it received as the home of the Rodney G. King beating trial.

In recent weeks, Simi Valley officials have claimed the trial, in which four Los Angeles police officers were found not guilty of beating motorist King, unfairly tarnished their city’s image.

But on Friday, several officials said the controversy may wind up helping the city lure new business by giving it nationwide name recognition.

“The city actually has notoriety at the moment, but that’s not necessarily a negative,” said James M. Hansen, recently hired as deputy city manager for economic development. “Almost everyone in the nation knows where Simi Valley is. You need to build on that and not be defensive about it.”

Until Friday, Mayor Greg Stratton has been trying to disassociate Simi Valley from the King beating trial out of concern for the city’s reputation. He has argued that the arrest was made in Los Angeles and that only two jurors were from Simi Valley. The others live elsewhere in Ventura County.

But he acknowledged that the trial led to several favorable profiles of the city in national television and newspaper reports. He said this could help hook employers from outside Southern California.

“We don’t have to tell them where we are,” Stratton said.

Stratton said the city is ready to compete for new employers with the recent hiring of Hansen and the adoption of a new package of incentives for businesses to move to Simi Valley.

For several years, Simi Valley has had a program aimed at luring new stores and industry to the city.

But the post now occupied by Hansen was vacant for six months, and City Council members only recently approved a new bonus program for businesses that move to Simi Valley.

In the past, Stratton said, Simi Valley attracted companies by offering improvements such as new water tanks, roads and building pads. But the economic downturn and growing competition from other cities and states have forced Simi Valley to revise its incentives.

Under the new package, the city can help employees buy housing in Simi Valley if their company moves to the city. It can also help pay planning fees, water and sewer connection charges, and business taxes.

City officials are now trying to persuade the Arkansas-based Wal-Mart chain to build a discount store and warehouse outlet in Simi Valley.

City Manager Lin Koester said Simi Valley is competing with other communities, including Agoura Hills, Oxnard and Moorpark, for a Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sandy Brummett confirmed that the chain is planning new stores in Southern California, but she declined to discuss specific sites.

Recently, the city offered a $175,000 cash bonus to help a San Fernando Valley medical supply firm with fees if it moves to Simi Valley. That company, Guardian Products, is considering the offer, along with proposals from other cities.

Stratton also said his city is working with the Chamber of Commerce to hire an ombudsman, who would represent local business interests at City Hall.

Some developers have complained that Simi Valley staff members take too long to approve their projects, adding to their construction costs.

Hansen said one of his goals will be to help business people move their projects through the bureaucracy more quickly. “We hope to streamline some of the permit processes,” he said.

Hansen, 46, spent the past two decades as a planner and economic development specialist in a suburb of Seattle and in the Reno area.

Since his arrival in Simi Valley on Monday, he has been reviewing the city’s promotional materials, including an eight-minute video. He also contacted Aquaria Inc., a Simi Valley aquarium equipment manufacturer, after hearing that it is considering a move to Moorpark because it needs more space.

He is trying to help the company find another home in Simi Valley. “I felt it was important to jump right on that sort of thing,” Hansen said. “We don’t want to lose any businesses.”