Dan Walters: Economist questions California's energy conservation claims

You just can't trust what governments tell you.

Levinson doesn't question that California's per-capita power use has remained flat, but he concludes that the state's energy conservation rules governing appliances and building construction had relatively little to do with it.

Nearly all of the syndrome, he says, can be attributed to other factors, such as the state's relatively mild climate, the growth of population in Western and Southern states with hot summers and rising energy demands, and the expansion of household size in California.

"Together," Levinson writes, "these trends account for around 90 percent of California's apparent residential electricity savings, thus providing no lessons for other states or countries considering adopting or tightening their energy efficiency standards."

Salter Labs moving all factory operations to Juárez

Well, no one in the US wins with this move.

It's closing its Arvin, Calif., factory in September and laying off 87 people, she said. It will hire 70-80 people in Juárez in the next three to five months, she said. The Juárez factory now employs 820 people, she said.

"We have a state-of-the-art plant there, and room to add volume. It makes sense strategically and economically to have all manufacturing there," Repelin said. The company's headquarters will remain in Arvin, located just outside Bakersfield, Calif.

Another California co. heading to Texas

From the Austin Business Journal:

The contract involves Radiation Detection Co. creating 50 full- and part-time jobs by the end of 2016 with average hourly pay starting at $12, according to the Community Impact Newspaper.

Radiation Detection, currently based in Gilroy, Calif., manufactures equipment for radiation detection, mostly for medical companies. President Barrie Laing expects about 28 current employees to make the move to Texas.

Marley Coffee moving to Denver from California

Well, this isn't good news.  Today's small companies are tomorrow's big employers.

"It's always been my vision to bring all our people together and Denver was on the top of our list. It's centrally located and the sustainable vibe of the city resonates with what we're trying to achieve," he said in a news release.

The company said that with the move, it will consolidate its sales, design and marketing teams. The company also said it is adding up to 12 new employees in sales, marketing, design, business development and human resources.

Man, read down farther.  The company is in pretty bad shape.

Boeing moving more engineering work to California

This is good news...

Condelles said the new move involves a separate group of engineers who work on modifications such as aircraft performance upgrades or interior refinishing, as well as passenger jet-to-freighter conversions.

Delaney, in his May message, said that, “We expect the Southern California and South Carolina design centers to grow over time,” and that, “We are presently studying other potential work packages” for those centers.

Since I'm from SC state, I'll follow stuff there as well.

Richmond Threatens Eminent Domain To Address Foreclosure Crisis

Unbelievable stupidity.

Richmond has partnered with San Francisco-based Mortgage Resolution Partners on the plan. Letters have been sent to 32 servicers and trustees who hold the underwater loans. If they refuse the city’s offer, officials will condemn and seize the mortgages, then help homeowners to refinance.

We have the Supreme Court to thank for stupid ways that cities, counties and states can come up with to declare emminent domain on a "blighted" area.

Hispanic win: ‘California can be Republican again’

Could it be?  Has the bottom in CA finally been reached?  From the Washington Times:

Fresno cherry farmer and cattle rancher Andy Vidak, who is fluent in Spanish, said he captured the state Senate seat in last week’s closely watched runoff vote by connecting with Hispanic voters with a “common-sense” approach that focused on job creation, affordable energy and opposition to big government. He even cooked menudo, a cow-stomach soup and a Mexican favorite, at a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce event at the Bakersfield fairgrounds where 10,000 Hispanics turned out.

He got a big assist from other GOP officeholders and hundreds of Spanish-speaking Republican volunteers going door to door, making pitches in Spanish where necessary in the 60 percent Hispanic district. Mr. Vidak also managed to create a little political daylight from hard-liners in his party on the issue of eventually granting citizenship to illegal immigrants.

Since it was the inner areas of CA that got hit the hardest by unemployment and poverty, it doesn't surprise me that the people there had finally had it.