Sen. Tony Strickland has introduced Senate Joint Resolution 19, which encourages the California Congressional delegation to help keep California military bases open when the U.S. Department of Defense goes forward with a new round of base closures.

U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently announced a plan to ask Congress to approve two rounds of military base closures, the first in 2013 and another in 2015, through the Federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC).

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“With Port Hueneme and Point Mugu proving to be an invaluable asset to the local community, I plan to fight to keep these bases open,” Sen. Strickland said. “Ventura County military bases are a great economic impact to our local economy – providing almost 19,000 much-needed jobs – as well as helping to ensure our national security.”

“Military bases across the state benefit all the people of California, so we need to send a message to Congress to let them know just how important California’s military bases are,” Sen. Strickland added. “It’s my hope that Congress does not move forward with President Obama’s proposal to cut funding for national security.”

Sen. Strickland has also sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown, asking him to authorize the creation of an unpaid, volunteer task force for the strategic purpose of preserving California’s military bases. Similar task forces were authorized in 1993 by Gov. Pete Wilson and in 2004 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. These task forces have since expired.