What many of us have feared, even anticipated, is now official. Amgen, with 8,000 employees located in Thousand Oaks has officially begun leaving California. They have determined that Colorado is a better place for them to build their future than California.

While Amgen has not announced how many jobs are being transferred to their Longmont Colorado facility, the handwriting is certainly on the wall.

Debbie Ford, Amgen’s Colorado spokeswomen said “The Longmont area’s cheaper cost of living, local work force, quality of life and available land on its campus made moving the jobs an attractive opportunity.”

Ford continues “It’s certainly good news. Amgen is investing in Longmont as part of it’s future.”

For those in this county and in this state who still have their heads buried in the sand, please – pull them out. These are not the manufacturing jobs that have been callously and foolishly allowed / forced to leave the state, these are the high tech, clean, next generation jobs that we claim to have coveted. This is not a failing company desperately trying to stay afloat, this is one of the nations largest and most successful companies.

They have made a business decision to take their jobs and our future elsewhere. For those elected officials who believe that no growth fanaticism (both business and residential), coupled with policies that make us the nations leader in regulatory burdens carry no consequences, I can only hope that you’re the next in line to lose your job!