Toyota is making a surprise move from California, announcing it would transfer its US headquarters and about 3,000 jobs from the Los Angeles suburbs to the outskirts of Dallas.

The world’s largest automaker will keep a foothold in California about 2,300 jobs will remain in California after the company settles into its new corporate campus in Plano, Texas. But the announcement is an economic and symbolic slap for California, a historic centre of American car culture that has been trying to shake its reputation as a frustrating place to run a business, whether that involves shooting a film or selling a Prius.

“When you look at the whole package, it’s difficult to be a business here,” lamented Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto, whose community on the edge of the Pacific will suffer as the jobs migrate to Texas.

“If all these great, high-end jobs are leaving California, then we are going to turn into a place that’s a retirement community” with low-paying service sector jobs, Scotto said. “We can’t have that,” he added, warning that unless the state has a change of attitude, “it’s going to be way too late.”

Toyota’s announcement comes about two months after Occidental Petroleum Corp disclosed it was moving its headquarters to Houston from Los Angeles Texas Gov Rick Perry has been on a publicity campaign to promote his state as a haven for businesses seeking lower taxes and eased government regulation, but Toyota didn’t mention what, if any, role Perry played in the company’s decision.

Perry, who made two visits to California to lure employers to his state, said Texas offered Toyota $40 million in incentives from the taxpayer-funded Texas Enterprise Fund.

The Republican governor said Toyota is expected to invest $300 million in the new headquarters.

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