Posted on 07/14/2005 7:15:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged a federal panel to shield nearly a dozen state military installations slated for closure, saying "the bases that are here should stay here."
But despite the potential loss of about 2,000 jobs, the Republican governor acknowledged that the state escaped largely unscathed in the latest round of base closings proposed in May by the Defense Department.
The government's list is "good news for California and the country," Schwarzenegger told members of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, which is reviewing the proposed changes. "It shows that Washington understands what we have known all along - that our bases have unique advantages that make them essential to our national defense and homeland security."
"Even though we don't want to lose a single job - no state does - we are pleased that the impact of the current plan on our economy is far less than it has been in the past," he added.
Officials predict about 1,200 civilian and 800 military jobs will be lost if the Defense Department's list is approved in the fall. Nearly 100,000 jobs were lost in previous rounds that shuttered two dozen major bases from 1988 to 1995.
In other cases, jobs will be shifted between bases, but many will remain in the state.
Among the installations slated for closure: Armed Forces Reserve Center, Bell; Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Oakland; Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Bernardino; Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Diego; Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Seaside; Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division; the inland portion of the Concord Naval Weapons Station; Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Encino; Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Los Angeles; Onizuka Air Force Station, Santa Clara County; and the Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant.
In a statement submitted to the panel, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said, "I remain very concerned about those communities that face closure or downsizing and will do all I can to soften the blow."
During presentations to the panel, Winifred T. Wu, general manager at NI Industries, a contractor that operates the Riverbank ammunition plant, suggested that its closure could lead to a shortage of large-caliber cartridge cases.
"Are people are our greatest assets," she said.
"Are people are our greatest assets," she said.
But you can't shoot at your enemy with people.. :-\
ICK...
One could say "Payback is a b%^ch" in this case. Just like the eastern coast bases that are set to close these states all voted liberal. Nuff said. Feinstein can whine all she wants.
Perhaps it's time to show the same type of concern for private businesses and corporations, which actually generate a good chunk of the state's revenue.
California Democrats all need to go back to school to learn Economics 101.
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