The Morning Report
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This week we’re highlighting what you’re saying about the state’s business climate, taxes, trees, federal funding for homelessness services and sports fandom. Take a look:
• Edward Teyssier on “Texas Messing With California Businesses: Fact Check“:
The article is itself misleading because it doesn’t give the whole story. It would be interesting to know why companies are leaving California (not just to Texas but other states as well) and to also know why companies are coming to California. In my experience in the high-tech electronics area, I know of several companies that have left California and all for the reason that taxes and other costs of doing business are just too high here. I don’t know of any company that came to California from another state. I only know of one company that opened an office here because it was trying to be close to one of its major customers who happened to be here. But, in my honest opinion, that doesn’t constitute a “move” because they only open a satellite operation here and their headquarters and all the rest of their operations are still on the East Coast. Other than that one example, I know of no company that has come to California, and it would be startling to even find one that came to California because of the state’s “business climate.” In summary, I do think the point of the Gastelum comment, which is that California’s high taxes and poor business climate forces companies and jobs to move elsewhere is, in my experience, accurate and hasn’t been fairly addressed by this article.
• Robert Cohen on “Uh, We Don’t Have to Vote on Taxes Anymore“:
Will the party of “no more taxes” protest this decision? It’s always interesting to see how business people who claim that government gets in the way and that taxes are killing the economy seek to use government and taxation to further their own causes. Will the local GOP respond to this “taxation without apparent representation” money grab?
• Carrie Schneider on “A Tall Tale About San Diego’s Trees: Fact Check“:
My detailed database, which consists of the six different cities in which I’ve lived, plus the numerous other cities I’ve visited, tells me that San Diego has pathetically few trees. I’m not counting natural open space, since trees are not native in much of this area, only in landscaping/gardening.
Landscape architect Vicki Estrada recently posted on Facebook a photo of the street in City Heights where she grew up. Used to be street trees there, but no longer. It looks like a wasteland. Imagine how lovely it would be if the trees had been left alone and not cut down for some unknown reason.
The lack of trees one reason it’s so incredibly noisy here. Highway sound does not travel so far in other places.
• Gerald Hosenkamp on “Where Federal Money for Homelessness Goes in San Diego“:
What is missing in all of this is that the story is all about federal funding for a local problem. Clearly San Diego, like most big cites, looks as much, if not more, to Washington as it does to its own state or local leaders for direction. One wonders, what is the point of even having local or state taxes? Just give all revenue to Washington. This was certainly not the kind of checks and balances between the federal and state government we started out with.
• Daniel Nava on “Stop Blaming the Weather for SD’s Weak Fan Base“:
I would only add that infrastructure is another issue. Southern California teams have attendance problems due to lack of proper and comprehensive public transportation and parking infrastructure. The same reason you see people racing to exits well before a game is over is the same general reason people don’t go to games in the first place. I have lived in St. Louis and D.C. St. Louis’ parking downtown is not difficult at all and they have a light rail that is intuitively placed around the city and with plenty of cars and stops to deal with large crowds. DC Metro is a bit of a **** show but they run a new set of cars every couple of minutes. When a city cares about its teams, and wants the revenue, they will be sure that “getting to the game” isn’t a huge hassle.
Comments have been lightly edited for typos, spelling and style.
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Dagny Salas is the web editor at Voice of San Diego. You can contact her directly at dagny.salas@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5669.
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