OXNARD : Navy to Shut Down Employment Center

The U. S. Navy will close an employment center it has operated in the Oxnard area for 20 years in response to the continuing decline in employment at the area’s Navy facilities, officials said Tuesday.

Instead, the Navy will set up separate employment centers at the Point Mugu and Port Hueneme complexes, a cost-saving move that reflects the downsizing of the U. S. military, said Loren Miller, who oversees the center. The move will be effective Feb. 1, officials said.

Hiring by the county’s largest employer has dropped from a high of 1,525 several years ago to 1,260 last year, Miller said. The number of inquiries from job-seekers has dropped from more than 16,000 a year to less than 8,000, he said.

First opened in the Colonia area of Oxnard 20 years ago and moved to its present location at 201 W. Palm Drive in 1982, the Navy Employment Information Center has been a convenient location for many job-seekers to visit, Miller said.

“Our concern is we’ve had long-term ties in the community,” Miller said. He said the Navy intends to make entry to the two bases as easy as possible for potential job-seekers.