L.A. County has been awarded a new state enterprise zone for business tax credits.

The new enterprise zone, called the Harbor Gateway, includes portions of Los Angeles, Huntington Park and unincorporated Los Angeles County. The zone was announced on Monday.

Also, the state renewed and expanded a zone in Santa Clarita, which grew more than 50 percent to include unincorporated areas near the north county city. The existing zone for the area expires next week.

Business opening in or moving to these zones after the designations are finalized early next year will be eligible for state tax credits per employee hired and state sales tax credits of up to $20 million in machinery purchases.

“The enterprise zone designation is a win-win for businesses and residents,” said CDC Executive Director Sean Rogan.

Sites of other zones in the county include Antelope Valley, Compton, South Gate/Lynwood, Long Beach, Pasadena and the Hollywood and Eastside portions of Los Angeles.

The enterprise zone program is one of the few tools the state has to entice businesses to locate in specific regions, especially areas that have experienced a declining business base.

The program has been criticized because of reports that hiring tax credits haven’t been awarded for employees who didn’t qualify. Also, the program has been called a corporate giveaway. As a result, there have been unsuccessful attempts in the Legislature to scale back or completely eliminate the program.