My Five Point Plan to help revitalize our economy
Republished from Flashreport here:
This past winter, I was in Santa Barbara working on a large proposal for the aerospace company where I work. One afternoon, I saw a photo of what had been the manufacturing floor for the program we were bidding on. Dozens of electronics pods were spread out across the manufacturing floor, with technicians and inspectors installing parts and signing off planning. For an engineer, it was a beautiful sight.
Today, none of the manufacturing work for the upgrade we were bidding on was being done here. Much of the work and the engineering had moved to Texas, Mississippi and Indiana. The reason: California has become too expensive and difficult a place to do business.
For past generations, California was the land of opportunity, where aerospace and other manufacturing flourished. For my generation, opportunity is too often found elsewhere. The California Manufacturing and Technology Association reports over 600,000 manufacturing jobs have left the state in the past decade. These jobs were the foundation of our economy, providing good-paying jobs to support families, while generating revenue for education, public safety, transportation and other state and local services. Now they’re gone.
How do we turn California around and make our state the land of opportunity again?
One thing is clear — California voters are tired of a government that isn’t working. They want real, tangible, specific solutions, not more rhetoric. They want action. I’m eager to show them that I’ll roll up my sleeves, rise above the gridlock, and tackle our state’s economic problems head on with a plan that includes five steps for creating jobs and reinvigorating our economy:
- Automatic renewal of all existing state enterprise zones for another 10 years. Businesses thrive when there is predictability. Reassurance that regulations will not change will keep them here and give them reason to invest and grow. We should also expand the LAX enterprise zone to include the “aerospace corridor” (El Segundo, Redondo Beach, and Torrance). This will attract thousands of new jobs to our area.
- Create a fast track for like-for-like replacement permitting for development. It should take 30 days rather than the current two years to replace a McDonald’s with an Applebee’s. Creating a fast track path will help complete hundreds of new development projects currently tied down by red tape.
- Renew the $8000 first time homebuyer’s tax credit. This will make thousands of homes affordable for middle class Californians, increasing sales volume, creating thousands of jobs, and bringing new life to our beleaguered real estate market.
- Reward California-based banks that invest in California. Give California-based banks that provide credit for California projects a tax credit for half the interest. This will give banks reasons to come back to California and help move hundreds of projects off the sidelines.
- Stop predatory lawsuits and protect businesses. Give judges more authority to sanction frivolous litigators and throw out bad CEQA lawsuits. Give businesses a “grace period” to fix ADA complaints and others before paying a dime of settlement. Bad lawsuits cost good jobs and we must take immediate steps to curb this abuse.
California is in a fiscal hole because of our shrinking economy. The only way out is to revitalize commerce and job creation. This will improve our standard of living, create more state and local revenues for key services, free Californians from reliance on state services to make ends meet, and restore for our children California’s promise of a better future.
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Nathan Mintz is a senior systems engineer with a major defense contractor. He is a founding supporter of California Common Sense, serves on the leadership committee of Californians Against Lawsuit Abuse and as Vice Chair of the El Camino College Board’s Redistricting Committee. He and his wife Judy are homeowners in Torrance, the largest city in the 66th district.
