Free Republic

Melton International Tackle, which sells fishing gear worldwide, is marking 20 years in business in Anaheim during 2013. It may be the last. Owner Tracy Melton is consulting with his financial experts and exploring other locations for his 30-employee company. He says recent state tax hikes may be the final straw that drives him out of what he considers to be a state unfriendly to businesses. "I am not rich by any means," Melton said "I work hard, keep 30 people off unemployment, and my reward is that the state and feds want to take more than half of any...

California ranks 47th among the states in the number of new company relocations per million population, according to the Site Selection magazine's 2011 Top Business Climates rankings. The relative scarcity of relocations plus California's tax climate – ranked 49th – puts the Golden State at 20th out of 25 states in business climate, the publication reports. California's competitiveness ranks 37th. Texas ranks first.

Through June 16, 129 California companies have moved jobs, work and/or headquarters out of state, says Irvine business relocation expert Joe Vranich, who has been tracking what he calls "disinvestment events" for three years. That is 60 more since his last round-up April 15. On average, 5.4 businesses are moving jobs, work and/or headquarters out of California each week, compared to 3.9 such moves per week in 2010, Vranich says.

So far this year, 69 companies have moved all or part of their California work and jobs to other states or countries, reports Irvine relocation consultant Joe Vranich. It’s the fastest rate of departures since Vranich started tracking the exodus in 2009, he says. There have been an average of 4.7 moves per week from Jan. 1 through April 12, compared to 3.9 moves in all of 2010.

The California State Senate on Thursday passed legislation mandating that schoolchildren as young as kindergarten learn about and support transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality. SB 777 requires textbooks, instructional materials, and school-sponsored activities to positively portray cross-dressing, sex-change operations, homosexual "marriages," and all aspects of homosexuality and bisexuality, including so-called "gay history." Thursday's vote split on party lines, Democrats for, Republicans against. No Republican senator rose to speak against SB 777. After this non-debate, the school sexual indoctrination bill passed the Democrat-controlled Senate by three votes, 23 to 13. Republican Tom Harman abstained and Republican Jim Battin was absent; Democrat Dean...