Gov. Brown dismisses Texas’ job-poaching efforts as ‘a big nothing’

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Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday dismissed the efforts of Texas Gov. Rick Perry to recruit California businesses to relocate as a political stunt motivated by a breathless media.

The story received wide attention Monday when the Texas governor launched a statewide radio ad urging California businesses to move to the Lone Star State to take advantage of what Perry called a more favorable environment for companies.

Speaking at a news conference in West Sacramento, the California governor quoted philosopher Marshall McLuhan as Brown dismissed Perry and scolded reporters for giving more attention to the story than it deserves.

Noting that Perry spent just $26,000 on statewide radio, Brown called the ad campaign “a big nothing.” He went on to say people have been seeking to take what belongs to California since the gold rush.

“You go where the gold is,” he said. Perry is “not going to Lubbock, or whatever those places are that make up that state.”

Brown spoke to reporters from inside a UPS warehouse to announce the addition of 100 new electric trucks to the company’s fleet. The vehicles, which cost three times as much as traditional diesel-powered vehicles, were subsidized with about $7.4 million in local, state and federal government funds dedicated to improving air quality in the state.

The trucks were built by Electric Vehicles International, a company that relocated from Mexico to Stockton to take advantage of the state’s subsidies for clear-air vehicles, said its president and chief executive, Ricky Hanna.

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--Anthony York in West Sacramento