LA Times: Whitman's economic plan will do little to bring jobs to California, experts say

[marmar]

Reporting from Sacramento — When Meg Whitman says California is bleeding jobs, the Republican gubernatorial nominee often cites the exit of Northrop Grumman.

After 70 years in Southern California, Northrop, the nation's second-largest defense contractor, announced in January that it was moving its corporate headquarters to the Washington, D.C., area. On the campaign trail, Whitman uses the company's decision to highlight the need for aggressive action as the state grapples with what she describes as a corporate exodus.

"We have got to have an economic development team that stands up and competes for California jobs," she said at a recent appearance in Folsom, near Sacramento.

But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger created such a team in April — and it would have had little leverage with Northrop Grumman. The company said it left the state not because of high taxes or cumbersome regulations but to be closer to its key customer: the U.S. government. The exit represents a net loss of about 300 white-collar jobs, the firm says; the bulk of its California workforce — about 30,000 employees — remains in the state. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-governor-economy-20100919,0,4270300.story

[Initech]

1. You really think a billionaire is concerned about us poor folks?

[TomCADem]

2. Maybe She Will Pay For Some Economists To Say Otherwise. Where's Arthur Laffer?