I wonder if it is too late to get a U-Haul franchise? (Update 01-12-12)

Russ Steele

CalWatchdog has the story:

NEW: Brown Proposes New Anti-Business Super-Agency

By LAER PEARCE

California lost about five and a half companies a week to other states in 2011, as the mass migration to avoid California’s hostile business environment grew.  You would think a governor who is hungry for tax revenue — and California has one of the highest corporate tax rates in America — would do something to slow the tide, but Jerry Brown’s new budget proposal tells another story.

First, bureaucracies like the California Air Resources Board that are highly efficient in throttling businesses have nothing to fear in the new budget. Brown is all-in on CARB’s anti-global warming campaign, as AB 32 implementation is unscathed in the budget.  Brown is not thinking about the war on greenhouse gases’ expected $180-billion-a year hit on the California economy; rather, he’s focused on the $1 billion in new 2012-2013 tax revenues he anticipates collecting under the state’s new cap and trade law.

But that’s just the tip of the supposedly rapidly melting iceberg.  Tucked away in the “making government more efficient” section of the budget is a proposed new anti-business government bureaucracy, the Business and Consumer Services Agency, that should speed up the flight of employers from California.

Super-Agency

Under Brown’s proposal, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and a handful of business licensing and inspection departments will be merged to form the new agency.  Fair enough.  Maybe they will be able to find some efficiencies.  But the red flag for business owners is this:  Into this amalgamation of bureaucracies that fundamentally see business as the enemy, Brown is dropping “the newly restructured Department of Business Oversight.”

Scan the list of 380 state agencies and you’ll find no Department of Business Oversight, so it appears this isn’t a case of restructuring an existing agency, but of creating an entirely new one.  California’s already excessive amount of business oversight is one primary reason why CEO Magazine listed California as the worst state for business for the last four years in a row.  Creating a new department tasked to impose yet more controls on business, and placing that department in an environment that’s already steamy with anti-business hubris, will only make things worse.

It looks to me like Brown is setting the stage for the final exodus of business from the state.  More regulations, more taxes, and more litigation, sounds like a supermix for the generation of more tax revenue creating business in California, especially those fortunate to have a U-Haul franchise.

Update from State Senator Mimi Waters 33rd District Newsletter (01-12-12):

New law reinforces California’s reputation as “the worst place to do business”by Senator Mimi WaltersCalifornia’s lingering economic recession is a direct result of the state’s overzealous regulations on business. Frustrated by the constant hassle of dealing with high fees and predatory regulators, businesses are fleeing California in record numbers. According to business relocation expert Joseph Vranich, in the past three years, two hundred and ninety-one businesses and 1.2 million jobs have left California. A prime example is Sacramento’s largest publicly traded firm, Waste Connections, which recently announced the relocation of its headquarters and over one hundred jobs to Texas, due to California’s toxic business climate. A recent poll conducted by Chief Executive Magazine, found that CEOs rank California as the worst place to do business in the United States. Instead of developing legislation that would unshackle constraints on business and remove barriers to job creation, the California legislature continues to impose more harmful regulations. Senate Bill 459, authored by Senator Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro) illustrates how California continues to wage war on jobs and its own economy. Read more about SB 459

A.P.P.L.E Center for Sustainable Living Runs out of OPM

Russ Steele

Nevada County’s Sustainability Icon has run out of other people money, how sustainable was that?

The Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy APPLE,  envisions an economy that functions in harmony with our regional ecosystem, meets the basic needs of our residents, supports a just and democratic society and fosters a joyful, diverse community life.

If you remember,  the APPLE Center received Federal Grants through the Butte County Private Industry Council to build a worm farm. According to the business plan, submitted to the PIC,  they indicated the APPLE Center would become sustainable once the worm farm was productive, producing jobs and revenue.

The Federal money has been spend and there is no worm farm and no sustainability!

“In the coming weeks, there will be big changes for APPLE. Look forward to more grassroots organizing and opportunities to learn together and share though book clubs, discussion groups and a skill exchange series.

“As APPLE focuses on these opportunities to gather, we need to simultaneously be downsizing our overhead, which means we can no longer sustain the costs of operating the APPLE Center. As a result, the Center will be closing as of January 28th.

Now that the PIC funding is gone, the APPLE Center for Sustainable Living has been unable to garner enough community funding to say open, thus they are closing the Center for Sustainable Living, as they have run out of other people money.

Tea Party Patriots are Growing In Nevada County

Russ Steele

Contrary to the rumors being floated by our middle of the road blogger and his lefty friends, the Tea Party Patriots are well and growing as an organization in Nevada County.

Ellen and I were fortunate to attend the latest Tea Party Patriot Luncheon today, with our many friends, Including Jo Ann and George Rebane.  Guest Speakers were Congressman McClintock and 1st District Candidate Sue McGuire. Sue outlined her campaign themes and Congressman gave a great presentation recognizing the TPP’s accomplishments and giving us a short history of freedom loving patriots and their influence through our history, drawing parallels with the current Tea Party movement. A standing ovation follow his dynamic presentation. As Ellen said, “listening to Tom elevates our spirit.”

It was also a change of command luncheon, as the Board and the community thanked Stan and Elaine Meckler for their three years of dedication nurturing of the Tea Party Patriots into the influential organization it has become in Nevada County and across the nation. We also welcomed Nancy Garcia as the new NCTPP Board President. Nancy is a very dynamic and out going leader, who as Stan said, “has the energy to take us to the next level.”

This was he largest TPP luncheon yet, filling the Ponderosa Hall at the Fair Grounds.  There were over 175 people at the luncheon.  The number of people coming to the TPP Luncheons just keeps growing, requiring the Board of seek out new venues.  Once they get to 200, it will be time to move on again. When the new comers were asked to stand today, there were about 20 new people standing. If this keeps up it will not be long  before the Board has to seek an even larger venue.

The next meeting will be an evening event on January 25th at 6:30 at Ponderosa Hall. The guest speaker will be Mark Meckler who will be presenting the challenges for 2012. This will be an important meeting and you should plan to attend. Become part of the solution, as we take back our county from the liberal political leaders who are destroying it.  See you there!