CALIFORNIA NEWS : Wilson Forms Trade, Commerce Agency

Gov. Pete Wilson on Friday announced a new Cabinet-level agency to capture and retain jobs in recession-battered California.

The Trade and Commerce Agency will combine government and private resources in an effort to lure industries and expand the export market, Wilson said.

Wilson named Julie Wright to a $101,340-a-year post as secretary of the agency, which next month will consolidate the Department of Commerce--which Wright now heads--with the state’s overseas offices and the World Trade Commission.

Wilson has blamed a chilly business climate and government red tape for a loss of jobs to other states.

“It is the process, not the standards, that are killing California business,” Wilson told the Rotary Club of Los Angeles.

“I’m told that if you wish to open the doors on a new business here in Los Angeles County, it requires between 70 and 80 separate permits. That is simply inexcusable.

“I want you to think of government in a new way, as your partner,” he said.

The Republican governor said private sector jobs are the key to dealing with the budget crisis that has forced harsh cutbacks in government programs.

“I am here to tell you that we will compete. And we will win. We are going to turn around this California crisis job by job by job,” Wilson said.

In her elevated post, Wright said she wants to build on California’s economic strengths, such as its $3-billion tourist industry and its export market, which brought in thousands of new jobs last year.

Among other things, her agency will work with local governments, utilities and other interested parties to develop a marketing strategy for the state.