According to business executives (but what do they know)...
So much for the idea of West is best. In an annual survey, executives ranked California as the worst place to do business for the eighth year in a row.
Chief Executive magazine has only been conducting its survey for eight years. Texas has been top-ranked every year.
The survey considered responses from 650 business leaders, who graded states on factors such as taxes, regulations, living environment and more.
Texas and second-ranked Florida have the highest migration rates in the nation for 2001 through 2009. California has lost 1.5 million people over the same period.
Also in the top 10: North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Utah (AND BIXBY, OKLAHOMA).
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-california-worst-state-20120502,0,461178.story