October 02, 2009

RIVERSIDE – On the same day Meg Whitman announced her Economic Task Force to rebuild California’s economy, she met with business leaders in Riverside who said the gubernatorial candidate’s focused approach to creating jobs and curtailing government spending will pull the state out of economic crisis.

Whitman wants to create a climate in which businesses will grow and state government will be smaller and more efficient. The Economic Task Force, which includes internationally renowned economists, top business executives, entrepreneurs and small business owners, will meet regularly with her and create policies toward that goal.

“We all share a commitment to creating jobs and making government more accountable without imposing new tax burdens on hard-working Californians," Whitman said of the Economic Task Force, which launched Oct. 1.

In Riverside, business leaders applauded Whitman’s common-sense approach, calling her “brave” to challenge the status quo in Sacramento and to go head-to-head with the entrenched bureaucracy in order to save small businesses.

“She is one of the most impressive women I’ve heard because she says what we’re all thinking,” said Virginia Blumenthal, an attorney in Riverside who attended the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce event Oct. 1 where Whitman was the keynote speaker. “What I love about what I heard is she’s going to do what she thinks is right.”

Whitman has pledged to create two million jobs by 2015 and to lower taxes in order to spur job growth in California. She has also promised to reduce regulatory barriers, to impose budget cuts and efficiency standards on state government and to fix the state’s K-12 public education system.

“Jobs, spending, education,” Whitman told the crowd of about 250 at the Riverside Convention Center. “It’s not a Republican issue, it’s not a Democrat issue, it’s not an independent issue. It’s an issue for California.”

California now has a 12.2 percent unemployment rate -- the highest it’s been in 60 years -- and 2.2. million Californians are out of work.

In Riverside, chamber officials say unemployment has jumped to 15 percent and industries such as service and manufacturing are suffering. Corporations such as RV-maker Fleetwood Enterprises have left town. Business owners and leaders are frustrated, and people are losing faith in California.

This is simply unacceptable, Whitman said, and immediate action needs to be taken. Whitman told the crowd that she would save small businesses in this state, put people back to work, and rebuild California -- make it the place older generations remember from their youth, and make it the place younger generations hope it can be. 

"eBay is one of Silicon Valley's most remarkable success stories,'' said John Chambers, chief executive officer of Cisco Systems, who is a member of the Economic Task Force. "I've seen Meg in action at eBay and admired her ability to present a vision and then deliver on the results.  She understands the importance of job creation, growth, improving our schools and rebuilding our infrastructure for not just the health of our state, but the health of our country's economy."

Riverside business owners say they’re seeking strong leadership, and that Whitman’s background and knowledge of the issues shows she is the candidate who will bring a no-nonsense approach to getting things done.

“Obviously she is a very intelligent, sharp, educated, capable business woman but what she brings that makes me stop and think and look is her sense of logic and her basics,” said Rita Norton, a small business owner in Riverside who works in records management. “When you say it’s as simple as, ‘You don’t spend more than you take in,’ how much more basic does it get than that? She gets it.”

For a full list of the Economic Task Force, click here.