BILL, STUDIES SEEK TO DRAW AEROSPACE FIRMS TO A.V.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

A push is on to use legislation and marketing to make the Antelope Valley more competitive in capturing aerospace work, the region's economic leaders said Tuesday.

A bill sponsored by Assemblyman George Runner, R-Lancaster, to make the Antelope Valley an ``aerospace zone'' that would offer sales tax breaks to companies in hopes of making the area more competitive for projects will be introduced this week, said Runner aide Greg Matrenga.

In separate but complementary efforts, economic leaders are planning to use federal and state grants to determine which aerospace facilities in the Antelope Valley are available for use, and to market those facilities both nationally and internationally.

``Our task is to make sure every square foot is being utilized,'' said Vern Lawson Jr., executive director of the Lancaster Economic Development Corp.

Runner's bill will be the Antelope Valley's second attempt at creating an aerospace zone. A similar bill was introduced last year by then-Assemblyman W.J. ``Pete'' Knight, but died in a joint Assembly-Senate tax conference committee.

The Knight bill, which would have provided tax breaks ranging from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent on aerospace sales, was a statewide effort. That bill had raised concerns in the Senate about the effects on the state budget. Runner's effort will focus strictly on major aerospace companies in the Antelope Valley and the neighboring China Lake Naval Weapons Center in Ridgecrest, Matrenga said.

In the meantime, plans are being readied to use a $150,000 grant from the Defense Department's Office of Economic Adjustment and a $45,000 grant from the state Trade and Commerce Agency to examine the Antelope Valley's labor force, determine which aerospace facilities are available for projects and to develop a strategy to attract businesses to use that space and labor pool.

The grants were awarded to the Antelope Valley Regional Partnership, a committee composed of Los Angeles County, Palmdale and Lancaster officials, as well as representatives of Antelope Valley College and private business.

Lawson, who is managing the effort for the partnership, said they are reviewing proposals from consultants on how the work will be performed.

A separate effort is being made by a state organization called the Defense Facilities Marketing Association to use $300,000 to market both military bases that were closed and existing military bases that are underutilized, such as Edwards and Plant 42.

That effort will include producing a video for Plant 42 and Edwards that will be sent out to national and international businesses in an effort to attract them to California.