Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Richard Pombo, R-Tracy and Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, sent a letter to the Pentagon on behalf of the Defense Distribution Center San Joaquin (DDJC), requesting they remain open through the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

Managed by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) under the U.S. Department of Defense, the DDJC has two current sites, in Lathrop and in Tracy. Both DDJC sites currently employ approximately 1,525 people, mostly local civilians. Also, there are approximately 1,000 employees working for these agencies and organizations in addition to DDJC’s employees.

"DDJC has been good for the regional economy. Closure of either facility would cause hardship for our local communities. That’s why Dennis and I are working closely together on this," said Rep. Pombo. "It’s also important to know this letter is just preemptive. There hasn’t been anything said or done by the Department of Defense to alert us that our bases would be any more likely to be considered for closure then elsewhere in the United States."

DDJC also contributes $178 million annually to the local economy. Salaries account for $89 million of the budget. Transportation costs total $43 million, with operating supplies, local contracts and construction projects accounting for another $46 million in operating costs.

"The Pentagon needs to understand the important role that both of these sites play in our local economy," Cardoza said. "In the past, the Central Valley has taken some hard hits from base closures. Richard and I are committed to making sure that doesn’t happen again."

Both Rep. Pombo and Rep. Cardoza voted in favor of H.R. 4200, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005, which the House passed on May 20, 2004, delaying base closures for two years. If signed into law, bases across the country will be considered for closure in 2007.

Richard Pombo represents California’s Eleventh Congressional District.  Rep. Pombo is Chairman of the Resources Committee and serves on the Agriculture Committee.

Dennis Cardoza represents California’s Eighteenth Congressional District. Rep. Cardoza serves on the Agriculture, Resources, and Science committees.