In an effort to attract, retain and grow California businesses, I visited the Texas State Capitol to promote California as the premier destination for business relocation, business expansion and economic development.
California has some advantages for business that no other state can match. We are a state of innovators and groundbreakers. We are the venture capital hub of the planet, with unmatched universities and the largest consumer market in the country.
At the center of the discussion is Tesla Motors Inc., a California-born electric automobile company that is about to build a massive battery factory, the “gigafactory,” that will result in a $5 billion capital investment and 6,500 new jobs.
In response to Texas Governor Rick Perry’s recent visit to the California State Capitol driving a Tesla, I discussed how California is going to compete for those jobs and pull out all the stops to get the factory built in the Golden State.
Everything is on the table – tax credits, investment credits, hiring credits. We need to show Tesla that we’ll cut through the red tape that frustrates California companies and prove that we are open for business. There’s no excuse. I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in getting this done immediately.
Along with Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), I recently introduced Senate Bill 1309, a bi-partisan bill that would entice Tesla to build the large-scale battery factory in California. The bill declares the legislature’s intent to utilize financial incentives, changes to regulatory and environmental processes, and other possible tools to expedite construction in California.
A few weeks ago, Governor Perry drove up to our Capitol in a Tesla. I was planning to do the same thing here in the spirit of healthy competition but it was impossible to even get a Tesla in Texas. That’s not the case in California. They are already everywhere. I look forward to their expansion in my state and seeing them driven all over the country soon.