Don Brunell: Golden State’s manufacturing image tarnished

California was once the land of opportunity. Since 1848 when John Marshall discovered gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills, people have flocked to “The Golden State” for jobs, sunshine and opportunity.

Now our nation’s most populous state with 37 million people has earned a tarnished image for high taxes, onerous regulations, government gridlock and unfriendliness toward business. That’s disastrous news for a state with the world’s tenth-largest economy at $1.813 trillion (gross state product).

That unsavory reputation is having its impact on the state’s beleaguered budget. These days, Californ...