BILL NUMBER: AJR 11CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 68 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 23, 2015 ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 18, 2015 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 23, 2015 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, 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. 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.