Posted on 07/18/2011 10:51:45 PM PDT by artichokegrower
SALINAS, Calif.- Green Vehicles is empty and it's doors are locked.
The worst part, Salinas lost $540,000 in the closure and now it needs to find something else to hang its economic hat on.
$240,000 the city paid and $300,000 came from a one-time grant for new tech jobs.
Last year, Salinas mayor Dennis Donohue test drove one of the new green vehicle proto-types.
Salinas was beyond excited when start up company "Green Vehicles" wanted to come to their city, but, "This is disappointing as all get out," said economic development director Jeff Weir.
As of last week, and this blog from the president announcing green vehicles closure, a huge tax base and revitlization of the old Firestone Business Complex, being on the cutting edge of the alternative energy industry and 50 new jobs just to start, turned into a pipe dream.
"And then on top of that all the different suppliers we had them introduce us to brand new battery manufacturing company that's on the cutting edge of technology," said Weir.
But now that business won't come.
Green Vehicles was awarded nearly $2.8 million from Ca Energy Commission but could never get investors to match the funding.
"They were awarded this money from the CEC sixteen or eighteen months ago and it just begun to start to trickle out...The traditional investment community have just draw back from anything having to do with alternative energy. They're just waiting to see who survives."
It won't be Green Vehicles. Now, Salinas must re-evaluate what economic driver they will hang their hat on next.
"We just cannot not do this we have to go out and get new businesses to come, but we have to understand what we are committing ourselves to...We have 4,000 young people graduating every year, new jobs don't happen by themselves you got to participate, you have to help make it happen," said Weir. The city doesn't know if it will be able to re-coup any of the money it lost.
Salinas said it will review everything it did with the company and learn for the experience to be smarter next time.
So just how much did the “officers” of this BS company pay themselves? They should be in jail for even taking the tax receipts. To top it off they probably are nobama voters...without a clue.
What’s sad about this is with California’s business killing policies, no company will ever move there.
Might as well rip the building down this weekend, sell the scrap and begin planting trees.
In keeping with the typical Socialist dream, they wouldn't actually have to "sell" any of them. Rather, the government would force people to buy them.
In addition, the government itself would buy fleets of them, most of which would sit idle in vast parking lots adjacent to the vacant high-speed rail stations that would be built in anticipation of construction of the inter-city, intermodal rail lines, which would not actually have been constructed. But in their fevered minds, that would all be a "good" thing, because otherwise the money might have been spent on highways or warheads (or worse yet, never stolen from the taxpayers in the first place).
The sixth paragraph reads like an entry into the "dark and stormy night" Bulwer-Lytton-tortured-sentences-contest held annually by some organization or another.
Misplaced commas abound. And how does "We just cannot not do this" grab ya!
"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."
("Paul Clifford" by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1830)
Leni
Yeah, I probably would have bought a Volt before I bought that POS...
...and I will NEVER buy a Volt.
So just how long ago did Obamanation visit this company?
"Of course communism works. The only problem is the right people haven't tried it."
"Of course socialism works. We just need more tax 'revenue.' "
Isn’t Gilford still the Garlic Capitol of the World?
Can anyone say ‘Trabant’? I knew you could.
While I feel the same as you about the volt, as taxpayers, I'm pretty sure that we've all bought quite a few of those "Volts."
Mark
Yes. Because traditional investors do their due diligence and knew: 1.) This 'business' was a joke and a scam and 2.) That 'green' technology companies are going to survive longer then the brain washed trend which ended when people needed real jobs and real paychecks by something besides tax payer money.
Notice how the gubermint doesn't do their due diligence before spending our monies. Especially when it comes to their divorced from reality ideals that they want to force down our throats.
Bet you next time Salinas actually thinks about what will create jobs in the REAL WORLD!!
Let us hope these brainwashed liberals that stupidly spend out money, actually use some true business acumen which is sorely missing in California government at any level these days.
My apologies. Just on my first cup of joe :-).
I think it’s Gilroy.
“Isn’t Gilford still the Garlic Capitol of the World?”
Last I checked, it was.
The Chinese garlic isn't as tasty but most people can't tell the difference.
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