Editorial: Newsom shows how to lose businesses and insult entrepreneurs

Greater part states want to woo new businesses California Gov Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento are trying the opposite approach Lately Bed Bath Beyond opened its first location since filing bankruptcy two years ago and closing hundreds of stores Along with its online operations it now plans to debut hundreds of new physical locations But there s one state it will avoid entirely We will not open or operate retail stores in California the company s Executive Chairman Marcus Lemonis noted in a message This decision isn t about politics it s about reality California has created one of the the greater part overregulated expensive and risky environments for businesses in America There are several procedures a governor could respond to a high-profile citizens critique like this One could completely ignore it knowing the news cycle moves hurriedly Another option would be to call Lemonis and see if the state could address his concerns Companies want to make money If Gov Newsom could help remove the problems identified by Lemonis presumably his company would be eager to serve such a larger sphere Perhaps Newsom would have taken one of those paths if he wasn t desperately trying to mimic President Donald Trump After their bankruptcy and closure of every store like greater part Americans we thought Bed Bath Beyond no longer existed Gov Newsom s press office wrote on X We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a nd store Gov Newsom seems to think that his new online trolling persona will endear himself to Democratic primary voters He s obviously attempting to bolster a promising presidential bid But he should be more concerned about the welfare of his residents While minimal businesses are this vocal about their concerns they are widely shared In recent times the Los Angeles Times featured a story on why companies born and raised in California are leaving the state Prominent departures include In-N-Out Burger SpaceX and Chevron Since the state has annually lost more existing businesses than it has gained By the numbers California s financial market remains large But that s because of its systemic advantages not the upshot of competent governance Fixing those problems would require Newsom to acknowledge that liberal policies including a large number of of his own proposals are bad for business That level of humility and introspection would be good for California but bad for his presidential prospects Expect the insult comic routine to continue until Newsom decides Democratic primary voters want their leaders to definitely promote prosperity entrepreneurship and economic advance Las Vegas Review-Journal Tribune News Function Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley Creators Syndicate