Toyota's April 30th announcement that it would take its headquarters from Torrance to Plano, Texas is proof-positive that California's high regulatory, high tax, and high cost of living environment is unfriendly to business. Or is it?
(Updated 5/12/2014) Correction: The Los Angeles Times reported on April 28 a correction on this news story. "Although 2,300 Toyota employees will remain in California, none will be at the Torrance facility."
For Torrance, a city of 147,000 and eighth largest in Los Angeles County, the debate as to whether California is business-unfriendly or not is irrelevant now.
"Figuring out how Torrance can fill the 101-acre hole the giant auto maker will leave behind when it vacates its sprawling campus," write Tamara Audi and Mike Ramsey, is one of many new concerns that Mayor Frank Scotto must deal with now that the city's largest employer with 5,300 workers, unexpectedly announced their relocation to Plano, Texas, population 272,000, "located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex" (per Wikipedia).
As to whether the Toyota relocation says anything about California's business climate, the answer is clear.
California was never considered in the search for a new headquarters site, these people said, but its location—far from Toyota's other operations in the U.S.—was a bigger factor than its business climate, which has been criticized by some for its high taxes and myriad regulations.
In fact, a more relevant question would be why Toyota chose Texas over Atlanta, Charlotte., N.C. and Denver, as those cities were Plano's competition, according to those familiar with the search.
I'm sure it didn't hurt that "Texas offered Toyota $40 million to move, part of a Texas Enterprise Fund incentive program run out of the governor's office. At $10,000 a job, it was one of the largest incentives handed out in the decade-old program and cost more per job created than any other large award," write the Journal's Mike Ramsey and Joseph B. White (article also available in MarketWatch).
FULL STORY: California City of Torrance Grapples With Toyota Relocation to Texas

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie