Texas Republicans claim ‘Don’t California My Texas’ but continue to recruit California businesses | News

AUSTIN – “Don’t California my Texas” has become a rallying cry for Conservative officials in the state, but it is the same leaders who herald the triumph when California businesses and their residents move to the Lone Star state – the many did it.

The phrase first came about as a push against liberal ideals often associated with California. It is repeated enough times that Governor Greg Abbott used this phrase in a 2018 petition as part of his re-election campaign.

At the same time, Texas competes four-to-one with each state in securing the headquarters of California companies, many of which are all moving their headquarters together to the state, according to a study by Spectrum Location Solutions of McKinney and Stanford University’s Hoover Institution was released in August .

The study found that Texas added at least 114 California companies from January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021. Of these, 41 companies planted company flags in North Texas. The Austin area claimed 57, Houston got nine and the San Antonio area attracted six, the report said.

Just last week, Abbott said that CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment company, headquartered in San Francisco, is expanding its presence in Dallas and Richardson by creating nearly 500 new jobs and investing more than $ 13 million in capital Will expand for 13 years.

Giant companies like Tesla Inc., Oracle Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Toyota, and Palantir Technologies Inc. all recently announced plans to move their headquarters to Texas. And others like Apple Inc., Google Inc., and Facebook Inc. have all made great expansions in the state in recent years.

“Texas is once again proving to be the most attractive state in the country due to limited regulations, low taxes, quality education, a well-trained workforce and a strong economy,” State Senator Angela Paxton said in a CBRE press release.

Some of the companies also receive great local and state incentives to move.

For example, Oracle, the world’s second largest software company, first signed an agreement with the state in 2013 for $ 1 million in subsidies for Oracle’s decision to spend $ 5.4 million on building renovations and equipment and create 200 jobs .

In 2020, it announced it would move its headquarters to Texas.

Tesla receives at least $ 14.7 million worth of tax breaks from Travis County to build its new auto plant and eventually employ thousands near Austin. Del Valle ISD, where Tesla will be based, also agreed to a $ 46.4 million incentive package in property tax breaks over 10 years for the automaker.

The Texas Development Economic Corporation has also concerted with its President and CEO Robert Allen to recruit Californian companies – the second largest workforce in the country, its central location [and] Proximity to ports ”among other advantages.

“TxEDC’s mission is to promote Texas as a world-class business location, and we and our state and regional partners have made a positive impression on executives and location voters around the world,” he said.

Allen added that bringing business to Texas has the added benefit of creating new jobs and contributing billions of dollars in capital investments to the Texan communities.

And when the Californian companies move out, their residents are also moving out.

In 2018, 86,000 California residents moved to Texas – a 36.4% increase compared to 2017. Texas, however, continues to gain residents, adding up to 582,000 residents in 2019 and adding about 4 million over the past decade. As of the 2020 census, Texas won three House seats while California lost one.

Abbott greeted the Californians in a January 2020 tweet that included a link to an article highlighting the number of West Coast residents heading east.

“Do you remember the high taxes, burdensome regulations, and the socialist agenda that went on in California? We don’t believe in that, ”he said. “We believe in less government and more individual freedom. If you agree, fit in exactly. “

According to data from Texas Realtors, most new Texans from other US states have been relocated from California, followed by Florida. And while many Texans moved to California and other states, “about twice as many Californians moved to Texas than Texans emigrated to California,” it said.

Allen at TxEDC said California CEOs told him that their employees wanted to move to Texas because they felt more secure in their new communities and will be able to make meaningful connections with established Texan institutions and the Texans they’ll face after the move meet.

“The conclusion I draw is that people who come here from states like California are not arriving with the goal of turning Texas into the same environment they just left,” Allen said. “Californians who come to Texas to work make a significant contribution to the state that contributes to the resilient and resilient Texas economy and its growing culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Senator John Cornyn also said in a statement to CNHI News that it is Republican-led policies that continue to attract new residents that he is encouraging.

“People vote with their feet and they clearly support what we do in Texas,” Cornyn said. “We were excited to welcome people from all over the country who are looking for lower taxes, affordable housing and a better standard of living.”

Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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