We asked legislators and leaders at the California Economic Summit why it’s critical for California to fight to keep manufacturing in the state and thriving.
Manufacturing matters in California. Last year, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation to give manufacturing in the state a leg up in the form of a sales tax exemption.
Why manufacturing? Ask any economist or economic developer and they’ll tell you, if there’s one industry that will help the state’s economy, it’s this one. Southern California alone continues to be the largest manufacturing area in the country with around 360,000 workers in the industry, according the California Employment Development Department.
The industry is such a huge contributor to the state’s economy that regional leaders decided to make it a priority for the California Economic Summit.
The Summit’s Advancing Manufacturing action plan outlines a way California can both promote a statewide campaign to raise awareness about manufacturing, while also seeking ways to make the state’s regulations a competitive advantage for manufacturers.
At the second annual California Economic Summit, held in Los Angeles, attendees excitedly talked about the new signature initiative.
