BILL ANALYSIS �
SJR 26
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SJR 26 (Vargas)
As Amended August 16, 2012
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :38-0
VETERANS AFFAIRS 8-0
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|Ayes:|Cook, Pan, Atkins, Block, | | |
| |Gorell, V. Manuel | | |
| |P�rez, Williams, Yamada | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Urges the California delegates of Congress to protect the
Naval Air Facility El Centro during any upcoming base realignment
and closure (BRAC) processes. Specifically, this bill resolves that
the:
1)Legislature urges the California delegates of Congress to protect
California military bases during upcoming base realignment and
closure processes.
2)Secretary of the Senate 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 the minority leader of each house, and to each Senator
and Representative from California in the Congress of the United
States.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This measure is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : Defense Secretary Leon Panetta included in the
Department of Defense (DoD) annual request for authorization a
request for BRAC in 2013 and 2015. However, the House and Senate
Armed Services committees rejected a new base-closing round in their
versions of the annual defense authorization bill for next year. In
addition, "It's now clear obviously there will not be a round of
BRAC authorized" in 2013, Panetta said in a speech to the
Association of Defense Communities in Monterey, California.
Therefore it seems unlikely that BRAC will occur in 2013.
SJR 26
Page 2
However, past rounds of BRAC had huge impacts on California. Total
net DoD personnel cuts from the four BRAC Rounds in 1988, 1991,
1993, and 1995 for all U.S. states except California were 80,373;
California lost 93,546. In those four rounds, California absorbed
54% of the nation's overall personnel cuts and lost nearly 30 major
bases. In the 2005 round, over forty bases/installations and
facilities were affected in the state.
Though BRAC seems unlikely to happen in 2013, it was requested by
the DoD, and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) versions
thus far do not affect the possibility of BRAC after 2013. DoD's
presence in California offers unique strategic military benefits to
the Nation, particularly in light of the military's new focus on the
Pacific region. Furthermore, DoD in 2009 spent approximately 56
billion dollars in California. Its contribution to the California
economy continues to be extremely important. For all of the
foregoing reasons, sending a strong message and taking a position of
vigilance and concern about BRAC now is wise.
Analysis Prepared by : John Spangler / V. A. / (916) 319-3550
FN:
0004993