Local congressional backing for B-2 funding appears to be weak: county's elected officials have no organized lobby.

Local congressional backing for B-2 funding appears to be weak

Only six members of Los Angeles County's 17-member congressional delegation have firmly decided to vote in favor of continued funding for the controversial B-2 stealth bomber, manufactured by Century City-based Northrop Corp. at Pico Rivera and Palmdale facilities.

Six members of the delegation, however, say they remain undecided on the project, which currently employs about 12,000 workers in the Los Angeles County area, while three failed to respond to inquiries about their position on the program, and two are opposed.

The funding issue will probably be voted on within the next few months.

For fiscal year 1992, which begins on Oct. 1, the Department of Defense has asked for $4.8 billion for four B-2s, a 15 percent increase in funding from current levels. For 1993, the department has requested seven B-2s at a cost of $4.6 billion. Congress has to approve funding requests for the long-range bomber.

Rep. Matthew Martinez (D-Montebello) said he will probably change his vote to support the project, while Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Torrance indicated he may be moving away from backing the B-2 and other defense projects because of improved relations with the Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries.

Previously, Martinez voted against funding for the project.

Those who did not respond to questions about their positions on the B-2 program were Democratic Sen. Alan Cranston; Democratic Rep. Estaban Torres of Pico Rivera, site of Northrop Corp.'s B-2 division; and Rep. Edward Roybal (D-Los Angeles).

There was no indication of any move within the 17-member congressional delegation to join together in support of the program. "In a program like this I guess the feeling is that everyone should just vote their own way. There are just too many issues involved," said one representative's aide who asked not to be identified.

Elected officials who said they would support the program were Sen. John Seymour, and Reps. Carlos Moorhead (R-Glendale), Glenn Anderson (D-Long Beach), Martinez, David Dreier (R-Covina) and Elton Gallegly (R-Thousand Oaks).

Those who said they would oppose funding for the project were Rep. Anthony Beilenson (D-Los Angeles) and Howard Berman (D-Panorama City).

Rep. Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton) said he was leaning toward support of the project but a spokeswoman for Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said the first-year congresswoman is thinking about voting against the project.

A spokesman for Rohrabacher said the congressman is re-evaluating his previous support for defense projects.

A spokesman for Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) noted that in the past the congressman has opposed the project. The spokesman said, however, that he was uncertain about Waxman's current position.

Representatives who said they were undecided on the B-2 were Julian Dixon (D-Los Angeles) and Mel Levine (D-Los Angeles).

Among the California officials who responded to questions and listed firm positions on the project, the vote was six in favor of the B-2 and two opposed to the program.

Most of the officials or their aides said they have received phone calls or letters from constituents and Northrop employees seeking support for the project.

Most of those supporting the project said they did so because of the jobs it produces in the Los Angeles area. There were no indications of any organized effort to persuade other representatives to vote in favor of the project.

Last year, during deliberations on the current Department of Defense budget, the House of Representatives voted to cancel the B-2, which costs about $865 million each. Under a compromise measure with the Senate, funding for the project was later restored.

Two B-2s are currently in the flight testing stage and 14 others are in various stages of production at Northrop facilities.

Originally, the Bush administration asked that more than 130 of the aircraft be built, but that request has been reduced to 75.

Rep. Martinez said he is shifting his position to support the B-2 not because of jobs but because of the success of the stealth technology used by the F-117 fighter in the Persian Gulf War and the need for a long-range bomber.

"Stealth technology proved very effective in the Persian Gulf. The bombs were dropped before the air-raid sirens went off. The second factor is that we may not have military bases in the Philippines or India much longer and that means we will need long-range bombers," said Martinez.

Rick Dykema, chief advisor to Rohrabacher, said the congressman has generally been a strong supporter of defense spending but he has been re-evaluating his position because of world events during the last 18 months. He noted that two years ago Rohrabacher was the only California Republican to vote against B-2 funding.

"He recognizes that there is room to cut back in certain areas of defense and the B-2 may be one of those areas," said Dykema.

The two representatives who are opposed to the project said the B-2 is too expensive.

"He has opposed it right from the start and will continue to oppose it because it's too expensive," said Gene Smith, an aide to Berman.

Kaye Davis, spokeswoman for Beilenson, said, "Over the lifetime of the B-2, it would cost $1.1 billion for each plane and $84 billion for a fleet of 75. There are less expensive and just as effective alternatives."

David Joergenson, a spokesman for Moorhead, explained the congressman's support for the program. "A lot of our constituents work for Northrop so there is the district interest but there is also a national defense issue and the fact that there is a need to protect the investment that has already been made in the project," he said.