Amazon recently announced its top 20 finalists for their new headquarters and Los Angeles was the only west coast contender named among them.

The e-commerce giant has more than 540,000 employees worldwide, ranks #1 on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, no. 2 in Fortune’s World Most Admired Companies, no. 1 on The Harris Poll’s Corporate Reputation survey, and no. 2 on LinkedIn’s U.S. most desirable companies list, according to a news release.

In September 2017, Amazon publicly announced that it was inviting proposals from potential sites and soon received 238 proposals from across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, according to Amazon.

“Thank you to all 238 communities that submitted proposals. Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough – all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity,” said Holly Sullivan, Amazon Public Policy. “Through this process we learned about many new communities across North America that we will consider as locations for future infrastructure investment and job creation.”

One of the proposals was submitted by the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) with the help of Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).

Photo Courtesy of The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC)

“We certainly are participating in this process, and believe that the Santa Clarita Valley is a leading location in the L.A. region, given the availability of land, workforce and business friendliness,” said Holly Schroeder, president and CEO of SCVEDC.

Amazon is seeking up to 8 million square feet of commercial buildings that are sustainable, fiber-connected, close enough to walk between and situated on 100 developable acres, according to a news release.

Their ideal location would also include a skilled labor force, housing for the workforce, public transportation including rail lines, be within 45 minutes of an international airport and be located near major highways, all of which the Santa Clarita Valley partakes in.

“The site at Newhall Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley offers the growth opportunities that Amazon needs. Given Amazon’s history of innovation, we believe that Net Zero Newhall, a zero greenhouse gas emission development, is a great match for this forward thinking company,” said Schroeder.

Related: State Agency OKs 2,000-Home Newhall Ranch Project After Appeal

The new headquarters would be an investment of more than $5 billion and would create as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs, according to Amazon.

The construction of the site would also generate thousands of additional jobs and billions of dollars in investment for the community.

Amazon will work with each candidate to evaluate a future partnership and will make its decision in 2018.

For more information about the current Amazon headquarters in Seattle and the latest about the new headquarters, visit their website here.

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