Houston Newspaper: ‘In the Texas vs. California rivalry, California is winning’

Houston Newspaper: ‘In the Texas vs. California rivalry, California is winning’

From the Department of News We Already Knew, But It’s Always Nice to Hear

June 12, 2017 Joe Donatelli Politics 0 Comments

Let’s get the buts out of the way first, because there are always buts.
But California’s economy is expected to cool off.
But we still face a massive housing shortage.
But the state has yet to properly deal with its insane unfunded pension crisis.
And those are just the known problems.
The Trump administration’s immigration and trade policies could hit the state hard.

California is carrying the American economy right now, but, but…all of those things.

Still, Texas politicians have been bashing California for so long now that it was more than a little satisfying to read this headline in the Houston Chronicle: “In the Texas vs. California rivalry, California is winning.” Texas is losing. It has been messed with. Dog reiki for everyone, California! On the house. The piece was published under the byline of the Chronicle’s economics reporter, Lydia DePillis, who writes:

“Average wages in California, which are already a few dollars an hour higher than in Texas, grew faster than they did in the Lone Star state for most of the past year. Texas’ unemployment rate bumped above California’s this past March. And California’s economy grew faster than Texas’ in 2016, 2.9 percent to 0.4 percent.”

Lest you have any doubts, her reporting includes charts.

http://www.lamag.com/wp-content/uplo...2.17.15-PM.pngVIA THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS

You simply cannot argue with something that official-looking.

The tempting thing to say is, California is the best. We’re No. 1. All other systems are Dickensian nightmares that will set the nation upon a dystopian path that culminates in The Handmaid’s Tale. But that’s not the lesson here.

The lesson is that there’s more than one way for a state to have a successful economy. That’s a sentiment that is seldom shared because you can’t score partisan points saying things like, “There is more than one way to do something.” Don’t @ me, but maybe states can be highly taxed and highly regulated like California, or maybe they can be more business-friendly like Texas, and they can each succeed in a way that pleases their citizens.

http://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/te...valry-economy/

California is at full employment. That’s slowing down the state’s economy

CA. Bay Area economy grows at nearly triple U.S. rate

By Trisha Thadani
Updated 4:51 pm, Monday, September 25, 2017


The Bay Area economy grew by 5.2 percent in 2016, nearly three times faster than the national rate, according to a report released Monday by the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.

The Bay Area’s gross domestic product was $781 billion in 2016, making the region larger than the economy of the Netherlands.

The San Jose metro area, which is home to large tech companies such as Cisco and Apple, had the strongest year-over-year growth in the state at 5.9 percent. The gains were due in large part to its local tech industry, the report said. The state of California grew 2.9 percent in 2016.

http://www.sfgate.com/business/artic...e-12227771.php

Southern California building boom adds 35,700 construction jobs, tops in nation

http://www.presstelegram.com/wp-cont...-002.jpg?w=525
A construction worker walks around the site of the new Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. The hospital is being built on a earthquake protection system, being the world’s first 3D seismically isolated hospital building. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)0 COMMENTS

By JONATHAN LANSNER |
PUBLISHED: September 28, 2017 at 7:20 am | UPDATED: September 28, 2017 at 11:32 am


If Southern California was a state by itself, it would be the biggest creator of construction jobs in the nation.

Construction bosses in the five-county region hired one-sixth of all new U.S. construction workers in the past year, and local pay hikes in the industry have easily doubled what’s handed out elsewhere.

With great debate circling about the region’s need for housing and infrastructure vs. the extra congestion that growth can create, local builders are busy — at a noteworthy pace. Here are eight things we learned about demand for the region’s construction workers, according to data from the Associated General Contractors of America and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

1. Construction bosses in Riverside and San Bernardino counties added 15,800 jobs in the 12 months ended in August, up 17 percent. The Inland Empire had the largest increase in construction work of any metro area in the nation.

2. Los Angeles County’s addition of 11,000 construction jobs (up 8 percent) was second followed by Las Vegas (up 10,900 jobs, 20 percent); Portland (up 8,500 jobs, 13 percent) and Tampa-St. Petersburg (up 7,400 jobs, 10 percent). Orange County added 6,100 jobs, or 6 percent, to tie Orlando for the No. 6 spot. San Diego added 2,800 jobs or 4 percent.

3. Southern California’s hiring spree — 35,700 jobs in the five counties — equaled 16 percent of the 214,000 construction jobs added nationwide in the past year. The region’s 444,000 construction workers are just 6 percent of the industry’s 6.92 million jobs nationwide.

4. At the state level, California added the most construction jobs in the year: an increase of 47,400 jobs, or a 6.1 percent jump.The No. 2 hiring spree was in Florida (up 35,000 jobs, or 7.3 percent); then Louisiana (up 15,300 jobs, or 11.1 percent); Texas (up 15,200 jobs, or 2.2 percent) and Nevada (up 11,600 jobs, or 15.3 percent).

5. Please note that Southern California hiring tripled the rest of the California’s 11,700 new construction job. So, if the state was split into two, statistically speaking, the local building industry’s hiring spree (35,700 jobs in the past year) was larger than any other state’s increase in construction jobs.

6. Growing construction crews come as 62 percent of California construction bosses polled said they were challenged to find hourly craftsmen, and 27 percent said they expected hiring headaches to increase. Nationwide, unemployment of skilled construction workers is at a 17-year low.

7. Southern California is by no means alone in the building boom. Construction employment increased in 274 out of 358 U.S. metro areas in the past year. And yearly job gains were found in 34 states and Washington, D.C. Nationwide, construction jobs grew at a 3.2 percent pace over the 12 months vs. a 1.7 percent increase for all industries.

8. Pay data, from the 12 months ended in March, shows local construction bosses paying up to staff up: Orange County weekly wages rose 10.2 percent in a year; San Bernardino, up 9 percent; San Diego, up 8.4 percent; Riverside, up 7.9 percent; Los Angeles, 7.8 percent. Nationwide, construction wags rose 3.5 percent in the period and 4.8 percent statewide.

How much Orange County housing can you buy for $350,000?

SEE: $350,000 new home in Orange County? It’s in the works in Rancho Mission Viejo

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What kind of housing might $350,000 buy you in Orange County? Start with 2678 Andover, Unit 26C, Fullerton with two bedrooms and a bathroom in 853 square feet. It sold for $350,000 on Sept. 20 … click through the slideshow to see more examples. (Courtesy: Shayda Hojjatpanah, Realty One Group)

http://www.presstelegram.com/2017/09...ps-the-nation/

This is good news, maybe all those Californians who were planning to come to Texas - won't. Maybe those already here, will decide they don't want to live with us and they can return home.

Good news for California, maybe better news for Texas.

California exports its poor to Texas, other states, while wealthier people move in