Here is the video of Senator Wright’s press conference on July 16th to discuss urgent legislation necessary to save the NUMMI auto manufacturing plant – including the addition of an Enterprise Zone.  There are many impassioned and cogent arguments presented by a host of legislators in favor government incentives such as EZs.

Here are some of the quotations:

Senator Roderick D. Wright: “We can not continue to sit on our hands and allow companies to leave California taking away thousands of jobs and contributing to the declining economy,” and “There is always a perception that California as a state is not interested in maintaining manufacturing jobs, in fact some people say that we’re indifferent,” and “If we are not careful, we’ll be out of the auto business. We can’t sustain that, and will not be able to grow our budget.”

Assembly Member Alberto Torrico: “We are bleeding jobs.” and “There are great challenges for doing business in California.” and “It’s time for us to take a different approach, it’s time for us to create jobs in California, retain jobs.”

Senator Ellen Corbett: “I’m particularly interested in creating an Enterprise Zone in Fremont, surrounding the plant to assist this plant, allow for various different tax assistance programs, but also perhaps to help us move even some of the other suppliers and vendors that are out of state closer to the Fremont area which will allow cost savings that can allow this plant to continue to operate and be feasible.”

Assembly Members Ted Gaines: “These are good paying jobs, we don’t want to lose this jobs out of the state, we have had too much of that already occur in the past. We really need to take a look at the right way to regulate them and tax them so that they can thrive and we can get that entrepreneurship and that growth occurring back in the State of California again. Right now we have to stop the bleeding.”

Assembly Members Jose Solorio: “Long term, the way we are going to deal with our budget situation is by growing our economy.”