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Silicon Valley Suggests California High Tech Czar To Save Jobs

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - The Brown Administration is being urged to create a high tech czar position at the cabinet level to represent Silicon Valley, in the hopes of stemming the loss of jobs.

Over the last ten years, California has seen a net loss of 50,000 jobs, and they're not all being outsourced overseas.

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

"What California has to realize is that we lose more technology jobs to Texas and other states than we do to China and India combined," said Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents more than 300 Silicon Valley companies. "So if we're going to be globally competitive let's at least start with just being competitive with other states in the United States."

The Brown Administration has asked for a whitepaper on how the state can be more competitive.

"One of the top items that we would recommend is that California actually develop a strategic plan to be competitive with other states, let alone other nations, and have someone on a cabinet level with a strong board of business advisors to develop and implement that plan," said Guardino.

Intel and SunPower are just two companies that recently expanded operations out of state.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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