WASHINGTON "California will lose relatively few defense jobs "and no major bases in the state will be closed" under the 2005 round of base closures recommended by the Department of Defense Friday, Congressman Jerry Lewis said, thanks in large part to the leadership of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the united state congressional delegation. "We have been been urgently warning our military leaders that the Pacific Rim is extremely important to our future security, and that we have probably already closed too many bases in California to maintain the proper defense along the West Coast," said Lewis, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and former chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. "At first glance, it appears that we have had some success in making that case. Overall, the Base Realignment and Closure list released Friday would result in a net civilian job loss of 1,200, much smaller than in the past four BRAC rounds, all of which included the closure of at least one major California installation. The largest closure on the 2005 list is the Naval Research Laboratory in Corona" and Lewis said the state's 52-member House delegation will continue to work together to reduce or eliminate whatever job loss is on the list. ";California has done well in relation to the past, largely because of the efforts of Gov. Schwarzenegger and the unity of all 55 members of our state delegation in Congress," Lewis said. "Those unified efforts will continue now that we must convince the Base Closure Commission that even this many cuts are too many with regard to defending our nation in the Pacific region." Lewis said he is concerned that the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow is slated to lose 330 of its 1,700 civilian jobs, but was gratified that the closure report identified MCLB as vital "to provide close, responsive source for depot maintenance support" for West Coast forces. "No job loss is acceptable, and I will attempt to convince the commission that the current force is the most efficient" but this is a definite contrast to the last two closure lists when the Barstow base was recommended to be closed," Lewis said.
Lewis said he will also try to reverse the recommendation to close the Defense Finance and Accounting Service office in San Bernardino at the former Norton Air Force Base. The closure would result in the loss of 120 jobs at the office, which has been gradually reducing staff from a one-time peak of 500 employees. The closure is part of a consolidation that will close 20 of the current 26 offices, including three others in California. The Pentagon estimates an overall savings of $154 million over five years. "Any time you eliminate jobs, it is not good news, and we must try to convince the commission of the importance of maintaining a DFAS presence in the West," Lewis said. "At the same time, it is important to realize that Norton Air Force Base is now a center of economic vitality, with the new Stater Bros. operations center bringing 2,000 jobs right across the street from the DFAS facility."
In addition to speaking personally with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about the need to maintain West Coast military presence, Lewis toured Los Angeles Air Force Base with Gov. Schwarzenegger to highlight the importance of that high-tech facility, which was widely rumored to be a closure target. He praised the governor's efforts on behalf of the state's bases. "You cannot declare total success when any bases are recommended for closure, but this list is evidence of the impact Californians can have working together," Lewis said.
DoD 2005 BRAC Recommendation List by State, (PDF, 108kb)
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