"We'll have 500 less people walking around the plaza I suspect," Oakland Chamber of Commerce President John Haraburda said. "It's hard to estimate the financial impact; taxes are not based on the number of employees, it would be more what's it going to mean to the local retailers."
"This is all about creating a new innovation center," Clorox spokesperson Wayne Delker said. "We're moving our R&D facility, which located about a mile from here, as well as about 500 Clorox employees who interact a lot with R&D and Innovation."
The 500 jobs represent about 40 percent of Clorox's Oakland workforce. Two-hundred contract workers will also make the move.
"I love it, it's a great facility; it's closer to where I live, I love the environment out here," employee Linda Gonzales said.
The new campus will occupy five buildings in a complex that used to house Washington Mutual's call center. Clorox will add a sixth.
"It's great to have that space off the market in Pleasanton, more importantly, it's about bring another fantastic company to stay here in Pleasanton and expand their operations," city of Pleasanton spokesperson Pamela Ott said.
But Pleasanton's gain is Oakland's loss, especially for city center restaurant owners.
"We are definitely concerned about that many people leaving our lunch crowd in this area," Fountain Café owner Elias Salameh said.
Clorox claims they will try to mitigate any job losses in Oakland by leasing out the bottom 12 stories of their building there.
"For all we know, it could end up with a net increase," Haraburda said.
The Clorox employee shift is scheduled for completion in late 2011.
