Rebecca Carrillo, marketing technician with the City of Victorville Economic Development Department, described two programs the department uses to spotlight and support local businesses.

MyBizMVV (launched October 2023) asks a monthly question on social media and invites businesses to respond using a campaign hashtag; participating businesses are entered into a raffle and winners receive a free promotional video and city-wide promotion. "If you are selected as our winner, we give you a free promotional video and we highlight their business," Carrillo said, explaining the program’s intent to raise awareness and help businesses market themselves.

Carrillo named MyBizMVV winners including Hangar 18 (a rock-climbing gym), Neil’s Donuts and Turn VV (a golf simulator and lounge), and said the campaign revealed previously lesser-known local businesses. She also described Keep It Local Shop Victorville, launched the prior year, in which residents nominate and vote on categories such as best pizza, chicken wings and ice cream; winners receive a plaque.

Carrillo urged residents to stay connected via social media, attend city events and participate in surveys. She cited a 2023 community survey that informed the department’s recruitment priorities by asking residents what businesses they travel out of the city to find.

On the sales-tax question, Carrillo said residents sometimes misperceive how much the city receives from the total sales-tax rate. She said the combined sales-tax rate is commonly thought to be 8.7%/8.75% and that the city’s share of that total is roughly 2%, with revenue going to the general fund and Measure P priorities such as police, code enforcement and animal control services.

The episode presented the programs as marketing and outreach tools; it did not include independent impact metrics such as economic lift, revenue changes for winners, or audited participation figures.