BILL NUMBER: AJR 11 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 23, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Burke and Atkins
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Irwin)
( Coauthors: Assembly Members
Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen,
Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla,
Bonta, Brough, Brown,
Calderon, Chang, Chau, Chvez,
Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly,
Dodd, Frazier, Beth Gaines,
Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia,
Gatto, Gipson, Gomez,
Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove,
Hadley, Harper, Holden, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey,
Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low,
Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes,
McCarty, Medina, Melendez,
Mullin, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen,
Patterson, Perea, Quirk,
Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,
Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone,
Thurmond, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Williams, and Wood
)
(Coauthor: Senator Allen)
MARCH 4, 2015
Relative to military bases.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AJR 11, as amended, Burke. Military bases: closures.
This measure would memorialize the President and the Congress of
the United States to recognize the unique military value of
California's defense installations and the disproportionate
sacrifices California has endured in previous base realignment and
closure (BRAC) rounds.
Fiscal committee: no.
WHEREAS, The federal Department of Defense conducted base
realignment and closure (BRAC) rounds in 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, and
2005. The previous BRAC rounds resulted in the closure of 25 major
bases in California, and the realignment of eight other facilities;
and
WHEREAS, A sixth BRAC round for 2017 has been proposed in the
fiscal year 2016 federal budget; and
WHEREAS, California has been the state hardest hit by the
Department of Defense's previous BRAC rounds. In the first four BRAC
rounds, for example, the state absorbed 25 percent of the total base
closures nationally and 11 percent of the base realignments; and
WHEREAS, California absorbed 54 percent of personnel cuts in the
first four BRAC rounds, losing more federal military jobs from the
closure of its military bases than the combined losses in all other
states. Additionally, 300,000 private sector defense industry jobs in
California were eliminated as a result of those base closures; and
WHEREAS, These base closures had a severe impact on local
governments and communities, some of which continue to struggle with
the transition and reuse of these closed bases; and
WHEREAS, There are currently more than 30 major federal military
installations and commands remaining in California that could be
closed or realigned as a result of another BRAC process; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Defense and the defense industry
represent a major industry in California today, totaling more than
$71 billion in direct spending and employing more than 350,000
Californians. Total effects on the economy far exceed these numbers;
and
WHEREAS, For over half of a century, California's workers,
businesses, industries, and universities have contributed to our
national security, utilizing their talents, capital, and skills to
develop and manufacture new technologies, aircraft, satellites,
missiles, and advanced weapons systems; and
WHEREAS, Military installations provide the foundation for United
States defense efforts. Maintaining these installations is,
therefore, critical to supporting America's national security.
California is vital to the mission and might of our United States
military. Our seaports and airports, bases and equipment, research
labs and testing grounds support the finest fighting force in the
world; and
WHEREAS, As our nation faces new security threats in the 21st
century, California remains ready to confront these dangers. In
space, cyberspace, over land, at sea, and in the air, California is
helping the military meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. From
troop deployment to systems development and cybersecurity, training
to logistics, the future of our military is here in California; and
WHEREAS, Having been the leader in the nation's defense effort,
California state government must lead by articulating the national
security imperative of maintaining military installations within its
borders; and
WHEREAS, In an effort to be proactive in retaining military
facilities within California that are essential to national security,
and to provide for a single, focused strategy to defend these
installations, in March 2013 Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. established
the Governor's Military Council, in an effort to protect and expand
the military's vital role in national security and California's
economy. The council has met regularly throughout the state since its
creation, and is continuing to work to protect California's military
installations and operations and to assist in recruiting new defense
missions and operations to the state; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That California's military installations possess
critical military value and that California is ready to help the
Department of Defense meet its goals now and in the future; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Legislature of the State of California
respectfully memorializes the President and the Congress of the
United States, to not only recognize the unique military value of
California's defense installations, but also continue to take into
consideration all of the following:
(a) California's unparalleled land, air, and sea ranges that
provide the ability to train all types of forces, year round, in
every type of warfare effectively, efficiently, and economically.
(b) California's strategic location in the Pacific Theater is a
critical factor in executing the National Defense Strategy strategic
shift to the Pacific region by allowing for rapid deployment to
trouble spots in Asia.
(c) California's ability to recruit and train highly skilled and
educated personnel.
(d) The existing synergies between military installations and the
private sector.
(e) The economic impact on existing communities in the vicinity of
military installations.
(f) Our incomparable quality of life, which enhances personnel
retention.
(g) The vast intellectual capital that has been developed in
California since World War II.
(h) The disproportionate sacrifices California has endured in
previous BRAC rounds; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative
from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the
author for appropriate distribution.