Cutback in Base Lobby Funds Urged
With Ventura County’s naval bases appearing more secure from Pentagon cuts, a local task force of Navy boosters is asking the county Board of Supervisors to cut in half the $15,000 a month spent on high-powered lobbyists in Washington, D.C.
Lobbyists Lynn Jacquez and Bill Lowery, a former congressman from San Diego, have been looking out for the interests of the Point Mugu and Port Hueneme bases while top military officials fashioned a list of installations no longer needed after the Cold War.
But neither of the bases ended up on the list of recommended closures.
And the executive committee of the countywide BRAC ’95 Task Force believes it can cut back on its Washington presence while an independent commission reviews the Pentagon’s recommendations.
County supervisors, who have contributed to the lobbying effort, have managed the contract with the lobbying firm on behalf of the task force.
They are scheduled to vote on the cutback at their weekly meeting Tuesday.
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