Antonovich Plans Motion to Save GM’s Van Nuys Plant

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich is trying to exert some political muscle against General Motors in an effort to secure the long-term survival of GM’s Van Nuys assembly plant.

In a motion scheduled to be submitted to the full Board of Supervisors today, Antonovich wants the board to send a signed letter to GM telling the auto maker “to seriously consider any proposal, including the ‘flex idea,’ to ensure the continued operation” of the plant.

Antonovich’s motion states that “the future of this facility, and the job security for its 3,850 workers and the 26,000 working families who depend on this plant, is uncertain.” The latter reference by Antonovich, whose district covers the San Fernando Valley, is to the families who operate stores and other businesses near the 100-acre plant on Van Nuys Boulevard.

The Van Nuys plant builds the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird sports cars. But last month, GM announced that the plant would not build the next generation of the cars, expected to debut in the early 1990s.

However, GM asked the plant’s managers to develop a plan for converting the facility to a “flex plant” that would be capable of producing more than one model on quick notice, to respond to changes in demand. Such a plant also would build vehicles that are popular sellers in the western United States, GM said. Most Camaros and Firebirds are sold east of the Rocky Mountains.

Still, GM has made no guarantees that the plant will stay open after it stops building those cars.

“A plant closure will destroy thousands of jobs in the San Fernando Valley and have a significant adverse impact on the community,” Antonovich’s motion states.