County Acts to Ease Aerospace Job Cuts

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved two measures Tuesday aimed at easing the blow of defense industry cutbacks on the economy of the San Fernando Valley and other defense-reliant communities.

Supervisors voted to apply for a $120,000 federal grant to determine why contractors are leaving Los Angeles and to consolidate job hunting and retraining assistance to the unemployed.

They also instructed the county Economic Roundtable to join with the county’s Aerospace Task Force to study the possible conversion of former defense industry plants into centers for civilian science research.

The grant is part of a fund for sudden and severe economic dislocation. The county application cites the closure of the Lockheed plant in Burbank, elimination of 150 jobs at McDonnell Douglas in Palmdale and extensive layoffs at Douglas Aircraft Co. in Torrance.

As part of county efforts, Supervisor Edmund D. Edelman recommended that a panel of experts from universities, aerospace firms and development agencies determine the areas of research in which Los Angeles County is a national or regional leader. The information could be used to develop a science park or for such ideas as putting former defense industries to work on mass transit systems, he said.

“Unless surplus research and advanced manufacturing resources are converted to civilian applications, competitive strength of the Los Angeles region will diminish,” Edelman said.