Introducing San Diego Businesses’ Four Horsemen

It’s not much of a stretch to say local companies’ complaints about the business climate in San Diego and California in general can sound downright apocalyptic. See: this, this and this.

So when we were able to zero in on four issues that frustrate a broad spectrum of businesses, we decided to dub them The Four Horsemen.

We’ll roll out stories about each of them this week, but here’s a preview. Be sure to return to this post throughout the week for links to each of the stories as they appear.

Workers’ Comp: California companies pay much higher workers’ compensation premiums than their counterparts in other states. Those bills can force CEOs’ hands when it comes to hiring decisions or deciding on when to give raises.

Cost of Living: Thanks to San Diego’s steep housing and living costs, businesses must pay their workers more and spend more on commercial property.

Manufacturing Taxes: San Diego’s set on adding more manufacturing jobs but that’s complicated by the state’s relatively high tax rate for those companies.

Energy Costs: San Diego’s energy rates outpace those in almost every other major metro area.

These posts are the climax of my quest to find out whether companies are actually leaving in droves (they’re not) and to shed light on local dynamics that make doing business here challenging.

You can catch up on the rest of my coverage here.