BIG 4 lands first joint economic development deal with Juanita's Foods

Commerce, City of Industry, Santa Fe Springs and Vernon say Juanita's Foods will move production from Wilmington into a new 120,000-square-foot Santa Fe Springs facility. The deal marks the coalition’s first completed project a year after the cities united to compete as one industrial region.

Why it matters: - The deal is the first completed economic development win for the BIG 4 coalition after the four Los Angeles County cities formed a regional partnership in October 2025. - Juanita's Foods will keep its manufacturing footprint in Southern California instead of moving production out of the region. - The agreement signals that the cities’ shared incentives and permitting approach can help retain industrial employers in a highly competitive market.

What happened: - Commerce, City of Industry, Santa Fe Springs and Vernon announced the coalition’s first joint deal with Juanita's Foods on September 17, 2026. - Juanita's Foods will consolidate production from its longtime Wilmington plant into a new 120,000-square-foot facility at 13100 Arctic Circle in Santa Fe Springs. - The move is backed by a Santa Fe Springs economic development incentives agreement and the BIG 4 cities’ fast-tracked permitting and relocation incentives.

The details: - The BIG 4 was created as one of the first coordinated economic development partnerships of its kind in California. - The alliance aligns policy, incentives and technical standards across four historically separate cities. - The four cities represent 250 million square feet of industrial space, more than 5,000 businesses and a combined workforce of 200,000. - The coalition says its industrial base generates an estimated $33 billion in economic output. - Juanita's Foods is the first company the alliance has worked with directly since the partnership formed. - Juanita's Foods is an 80-year-old maker of the No. 1 brand of Mexican-style menudo and pozole in the U.S. - The company chose to stay in Southern California after an exhaustive nationwide search. - Jody Jordan, chief operating officer of Juanita's Foods, said the Santa Fe Springs business climate, the facility and the incentive package made staying in Southern California a "no-brainer." - Jordan said the move allows Juanita's Foods to remain where the company was founded while continuing to invest in people and future growth. - René Bobadilla, city manager of Santa Fe Springs, said the cities were able to align resources, move faster and give Juanita's Foods a clear path to invest and grow in the region. - Businesses, investors and site selectors can reach the alliance at contact@citiesbuilt4business.com. - The BIG 4 includes Commerce, City of Industry, Santa Fe Springs and Vernon.

Between the lines: - The coalition is trying to replace city-by-city competition with a regional pitch that can move faster and offer a broader industrial footprint. - Landing a legacy manufacturer first gives the BIG 4 an early proof point for its model and a likely sales tool for future prospects. - Keeping Juanita's Foods in the region also reinforces Southern California’s pitch as a viable place for manufacturing expansion, even with national site-search pressure.

What's next: - The BIG 4 is likely to use the Juanita's Foods deal as evidence that its shared approach can attract and retain employers. - The alliance is now positioned to market additional industrial sites and incentives to businesses, investors and site selectors. - Santa Fe Springs and its partner cities will likely point to this project as the template for future regional deals.

The bottom line: - The BIG 4’s first joint win shows that four neighboring cities can act like one market to keep manufacturing jobs in Los Angeles County.