Study: Californians can create more jobs, revenue by buying state-grown produce

Sac Bee ^ | 7/31/03 | AP - FResno

[NormsRevenge]

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Californians can help create more than 5,500 jobs and generate $1.38 billion in revenue each year if they shift 10 percent of their purchases to state-grown produce, according to a new study released Thursday.

Californians can also generate about $188 million in taxes for local and state governments if 10 percent of their total purchases included state-grown fruits, vegetables and other California farm goods, according to a study funded by the Buy California Marketing Agreement.

[NormsRevenge]

Gub Davi$ - "Leaf me alone, will ya" 8-?

Eat Green.. Vote Green.

In response to the maddening Recall hordes. . King Davi$ said..

Let them eat cake kale :-\

[NormsRevenge]

Farmer Gray ... Ping

[solzhenitsyn]

Let's see how this would work. California's being bankrupted by its spending on illegal aliens. So folks there are urged to spend more on produce grown in the state, to create low-paying agricultural jobs to attract more illegal aliens ...

[lelio]

said the average Californian over 21 spends about $855 on food and wine a year. If they spent just $85 of that amount on California products

There's got to be more to this story. $855 a year on groceries per person? That's less than $3 a day. Perhaps that's $855 out of CA state produce.

[NormsRevenge]

If it's a Davi$ supported initiative, you know there has to be a catch. ;-)

[C210N]

Just to fill in your "..."...

... spend more on local produce, create low-paying agricultural jobs, attract more illegal aliens, more votes (by hook or crook) for democrats, increase payouts to illegal aliens, ...

[Ronin]

Gee... state produced produce...

Fresh from the Collective Farm, Comrade?

Am I the only person who sees the insanity in this???

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

This cannot be, it discriminates against Mexican, Chilian, Peruvian and other poor third world (also the commie anti-American New Zealanders) farmers and workers.

Surely if we can export our manufacturing &c jobs, the very least we can do is import veggies and (more) fruits.

[dufekin]

That's about what I spend...and I eat a lot. Then again, I don't pay California taxes and buy most food on "sale."

[ElkGroveDan]

Gee... state produced produce... Fresh from the Collective Farm, Comrade? Am I the only person who sees the insanity in this???

What collective?

While I don't generally support "buy here" programs, where is the "insanity" in supporting the hard working families of the Central Valley and other growing regions?

[NormsRevenge]

Good point. I'm munching on a salad made from California ingredients right now ;-)

One can't get enough roughage these days. :-)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I eat apples.

Do they grow those in California?

calgov2002:

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register

[Lunatic Fringe]

First steps toward secession?!?!

[lchoro]

Postcards from the Edge

http://www.fortune.com/fortune/investing/articles/0,15114,465792,00.html

Postcards From the Edge
What message is California sending to companies? Get lost!
FORTUNE
Monday, July 21, 2003
By Shawn Tully


California has a long tradition of bombarding businesses with regulations, from rules that give Native Americans wide latitude to veto construction projects to environmental laws that favor exotic plants over power plants. But the Golden State's sumptuous assets—its climate, its appeal to immigrants, and its splendid universities—always trumped the business bashing. At least until now. The state government under embattled Democratic Governor Gray Davis is turning so stridently antibusiness that it threatens to inflict permanent structural damage. Since 2002 the left-leaning legislature has enacted or expanded half-a-dozen laws dealing with burdensome regulations like family leave and overtime pay. Some corporate leaders think California is becoming Sweden-on-the-Pacific. "I've never seen anything like this is 35 years," says Angelo Mozilo, CEO of Countrywide Financial, the big mortgage company based near Los Angeles. "The state is punishing business, yet it's somehow convinced that business will not leave."

Wrong: Companies—and jobs—are departing in droves. The state has lost 289,000 manufacturing jobs since 2001. "The jobs that have to stay here are ones that involve direct contact with customers," says Liam McGee, head of Bank of America in California. "The mobile jobs—in systems development, manufacturing, call centers—are moving to other states." Fidelity National, the nation's biggest title-insurance company, is shifting its headquarters from Santa Barbara to Jacksonville. Scores of the small businesses that form the backbone of California's economy are moving either jobs or headquarters out of state. Buck Knives is going to Idaho, and Coast Converters, a bagmaking company, to Las Vegas. Taylor-Dunn, a manufacturer of cartlike vehicles for airports, is expanding in Ohio and Missouri. Though Countrywide is growing rapidly, Mozilo is shrinking operations in California and shifting all expansion to low-cost states like Texas. By his estimate, the flood of new legislation will increase Countrywide's cost per worker by $4,000 to $5,000 a year.

Three of the new laws are particularly harsh. First, California recently approved the nation's only paid family-leave act. Starting in July 2004, employees can request six weeks' leave every year (which can be taken days at a time) to care for a new baby, a sick relative, or a host of other medical tasks a state agency deems legitimate—even migraines qualify. Companies themselves have no say in the decision. Workers earning as much as $69,000 will collect 55% of their pay tax-free (highly compensated workers would collect a much smaller percentage). All employees—even those with no intention of taking time off—will pay a small payroll tax into a state fund that will foot the bill for workers on leave. "We'll spend a lot more training replacement workers, and our productivity will decline because of all the absenteeism," says Tim McCallion, Verizon's chief in California. Other companies worry that so many people will take advantage of the generous leave policy that the state fund will be quickly depleted—and that businesses will be forced to assume most of the costs.

Second, the legislature made workers' compensation more expensive by mandating a large increase in benefits. California businesses now contribute the highest premiums by far per $100 of employee wages: $5.85, vs. a national average of about $2.50. Yet instead of cutting costs, as other states have done, the legislature recently raised maximum benefits by 71%, from $490 per week in 2002 to $840 in 2005. Countrywide and Verizon both pay four to five times more in workers' comp per employee in California than in Texas.

Third, California is imposing onerous rules on overtime. Federal law requires that companies pay overtime when employees work more than 40 hours a week. But California companies must pay it to anyone who works more than eight hours a day, a particular hardship for businesses whose employees choose to log, say, four ten-hour days, or for call centers, where flexible schedules often entail 12-hour days. "Companies will simply move their call centers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas," says McCallion. Though this regulation has been around for two years, legislators are constantly making it tougher and extending it to previously exempt workers (a fairly recent addition: the lumber industry).

Why is all this happening now? Largely because the Republican recall effort against Governor Davis has pushed him to the left. Davis needs union money and support to fight his opponents, so he has embraced the unions' agenda. So has the legislature, where Democrats control both houses. But the recall effort has gone further than most Californians thought it would, and hopeful Republicans are talking about a conservative—Bill Simon (who lost the 2002 race to Davis) or even Arnold Schwarzenegger—becoming the next governor. We can see the movie already—T-4: Return of the Capitalists.

[heleny]

the average Californian over 21 spends about $855 on food and wine a year

$855 a year? That's only $71/month or $16/week. I spend much more than that on food at the supermarkets or grocery stores, not including restaurant meals or anything to drink. To spend that little at the supermarket, I'd have to subsist on only cheap food, grow my own food, become vegetarian, get food stamps or WIC, or eat out almost every day (if that doesn't count as a food purchase).

[kellynla]

We can generate 1.38 Billion dollars and save the state of CA over 3 Billion dollars in spending this year in 68 more days by DUMPING DAVIS! VOTE 4 MCCLINTOCK! http://www.tommcclintock.com

[tubebender]

I made it to one of the Farmers Markets not far from home today. Spent about $35 on "FRESH" vegies

[kellynla]

"$855 a year/" has to be a mistake. More like $8550.00 a year.

[johniegrad]

The state has spent about $6.5 million on the Buy California program, while the U.S. government spent about $20 million on the campaign

The campaign doesn't seem like a bad idea. However, am I missing something here? Why in the world would any federal funds be spent on this project?

[NormsRevenge]

I grow fuji apples, asian pears, lemons and tangerines in my back yard. Not a lot of 'em but there is nothing like fresh picked fruit or veggies.

tubebender, we have a couple of Farmer's Market near here a couple of days a week. Lots of good stuff and it's fresh.