In case you missed it, this piece was recently published in the San Bernardino Sun and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

By Sen. Bob Dutton

It’s no secret that California is facing an economic crisis not seen since the Great Depression. Unemployment in the Inland Empire has now reached 13 percent, and the state is facing a $26 billion deficit.

While the entire nation is suffering during this economic downturn, I believe there is a direct correlation between California having the fourth highest unemployment rate in the Country and this state’s anti-business climate.

I’ve repeatedly referred to study after study, including from Forbes Magazine, Chief Executive Magazine and the American Legislative Exchange Council which show that California continues to rank as the most expensive place to do business. I believe these studies and California having the fourth highest unemployment rate in the nation are directly related and why businesses are fleeing California for nearby states that offer a more business-friendly atmosphere.

Companies of all sizes are being lured to Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Oregon. Nevada, for example, has rolled out the welcome mat and is aggressively recruiting businesses to not only with an advertising campaign but by keeping costs and regulations to a minimum that make our neighbors to the west a very attractive place for a struggling California businesses to succeed.

California is a major economic power, but we are losing our standing in the nation and world because of the unneeded and unnecessary regulations on businesses that are forcing them to leave. If we are going to ever turn around California’s economy it must come through the creation of private sector jobs.

Recently, I met with representatives from the San Bernardino Valley Enterprise Zone along with some of the zone’s businesses who traveled to Sacramento to talk about the value of the Enterprise Zone Program. This program is one of the only remaining incentive programs that California still possesses. I believe it must be maintained and protected, if not expanded, to continue the support of business growth in this state.

We talked about how this valuable program played a key role in keeping these businesses in the state. Without it, their businesses would be in financial jeopardy and they would be forced to leave creating an even worse business environment.