Shutdown Averted

At Lucky: green-topped Huy Fong Sriracha was $3.49,
the smaller-sized Thai import was $2.99. Naturally
I bought American.

Profitable employers are a desirable commodity, yet a 31-year operating history by a homegrown company buys little goodwill in the Golden Green State of California.

Huy Fong Foods, the maker of the popular Sriracha chili sauce, was on the verge of becoming the next victim of California's high-tax, highly regulated business environment.

The city of Irwindale, California has filed a lawsuit asking for Huy Fong Foods to cease production of its iconic Sriracha sauce after residents complained that smells emanating from the factory have caused them physical harm and driven them from their homes.

While Huy Fong is not the originator of Sriracha, the company's distinctive green-topped, rooster-bedecked rendition of the Thai chili sauce has become a staple on mainstream grocery store shelves, professional kitchen lines, restaurant tables and cafeteria condiment stands since the company's CEO and founder, David Tran, fired up U.S. production in 1983.

Rather than work out the problem, the bureaucracy's instinct was to reject an invitation to tour the facility and issue ultimatums and lawsuits. To no one's surprise, Texas came a-wooing last month:

Texas state Rep. Jason Villalba led the delegation meeting Monday with David Tran, head of Huy Fong Foods......The delegation included state lawmakers, as well as representatives from the governor's tourism office, the attorney general's office and the state's Department of Agriculture. Gov. Rick Perry and GOP Sen. Ted Cruz also tweeted their support for the Sriracha factory's move.

Irwindale will now drop its lawsuit contingent upon the results of testing a stronger air-filtration system. Huy Fong Foods will continue to operate. That's good news for the State of California and even better news for fans of the Rooster.