Leaders Plan Campaign to Save 2 Bases : Economy: Group will lobby military, lawmakers on the critical role the naval facilities play in Ventura County.

Determined not to lose the economic benefits of Ventura County’s two Navy bases, local business leaders are organizing a campaign to keep the facilities open as they undergo next year’s base realignment and closure review.

The group, known as the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) ’95 Task Force, hopes to bring the county’s business and civic leaders together to forge a strategy to help save the Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station and the Port Hueneme Naval Construction Battalion Center as they undergo the congressionally mandated closure and consolidation review.

“Our goals are simple. We want to educate the public and the (base closure) commission about the important role the bases play in our local economy,” said Frank Moss, a task force organizer. “Secondly, we want to formulate lobbying strategies that will help preserve the facilities.”

This is the year that testing and evaluation facilities such as Point Mugu will be scrutinized under the base-closure process. Moss said he is confident that the task force will play an important role in keeping both bases open.

With a combined payroll of more than $550 million and more than 15,000 military and civilian employees, the Point Mugu and Port Hueneme facilities represent a critical component of Ventura County’s economy, Moss and Navy officials said. Navy officials say Point Mugu’s operations alone contribute more than $310 million to the local economy.

Moss is treasurer of the Ventura County Defense Services Industry Executives Assn., a group of defense contractors that provide millions of dollars in goods and services to the two bases each year.

“I think we are facing a no-holds-barred look this time. We will have the commission for the first time placing special interest on test and evaluation facilities,” Moss said. “In this area, there is quite a bit of competition within the Navy and from other service branches.”

Marc Charney, president of the Ventura County Economic Development Assn., which is co-sponsoring the task force, said a major reduction or closure of either of the Navy bases would send shock waves through the community--both economically and socially.

Closure “would be a real blow to this community,” Charney said. “I think that a lot of people are not aware of how dependent this county is on the Navy. Anything we can do to prevent this kind of closure from happening has got our support.”

Moss said the task force’s fall-back position is to sell to lawmakers the idea of creating a multi-service weapons testing and evaluation complex, combining the Point Mugu and China Lake Navy bases and Edwards and Vandenberg Air Force bases. Such consolidation would probably keep most of the jobs now at Point Mugu, he said.

“It would be run by the Department of Defense and would serve all service branches,” Moss said. “If we can’t keep the facility in the hands of the Navy, then this would be our next best option.”

Creation of the lobbying group comes as both Navy bases continue to provide officials of the base-closure commission with information on what is known as a “data call” --a process whereby information on the bases is transmitted to officials in Washington.

The data call is the first step in the biannual base-closure process. During the 1993 round of closures, both Point Mugu and Port Hueneme emerged largely unscathed, losing a total of 15 jobs between them, officials said.

Brian Miller, spokesman for Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), said the congressman supports creation of the task force.

“The congressman believes it’s important to get the message out to the community about how vital our bases are in terms of employment and the dollars they place into the local economy,” he said.

Moss said the task force will hold its first meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. June 29 at the offices of Veda Inc., 5141 Verdugo Way, Camarillo. The public is invited to participate. For information, call 388-8332.