lindismith, can you comment on the latest 2 companies to leave CA? (Nissan, Sanyo)
I have done business with Sanyo in the past. (Supplying them with polybags.) It is just a small part of my own business, but it illustrates the impact a large company has in a geographic region. Not only have those jobs left, but all the small and medium-sized businesses doing business on the periphery are affected. It will not be a huge loss for me, but incrementally these losses add up. The printer no longer prints business cards, the janitorial services aren’t needed, the security firms, the gas station on the corner, the restaurants etc. etc. Businesses in Tennessee will now get all that business. It is the same for Nissan leaving Gardena.
I don’t hear of companies moving to San Diego either.
I don’t know what can be done to stop these companies from leaving.
If it isn’t the high energy costs,
Energy costs are high. People don’t talk about it, but I remember when Enron was gouging California a couple of years ago, the pizza guy on the corner closed down because his electric bill went from $200/month to $900. It will be interesting to see what happens when everyone gets their a/c bill for July in a couple of weeks. (Relatedly, I have heard that people will only start taking climate change seriously when it hits their pocket books. Is this the start?)
high taxes and workers comp costs get you
I don’t think taxes are that high (relative to other countries,) but yeah, our second biggest bill behind the rent is workman’s comp. Arnie has provided some relief, but it’s not enough. As a medium-sized business, I (personally as a biz-owner) would have so much more income if I wasn’t paying what I pay in workman’s comp. It’s really still out of control in my opinion.