ORDERS FOR 10 C-17S CHEERED $2.1 BILLION SAVES JOBS IN SOUTHLAND.Byline: LISA The first personal computer to include integrated software and use a graphical interface. Modeled after the Xerox Star and introduced in 1983 by Apple, it was ahead of its time, but never caught on due to its $10,000 price and slow speed. FRIEDMAN and FELIX SANCHEZ Staff Writers WASHINGTON -- Congress voted Thursday to approve $2.1 billion for 10 new Boeing C-17 aircraft, culminating an intense, year-long lobbying effort to keep production of Southern California's signature industry alive. The funding, secured by U.S. Sens. Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. , D-Calif., and James Talent, R-Mo., brings the total procurement of C-17s next year to 22 and ensures the production line will stay open beyond its 2009 shutdown date. ``Whoopee!'' Jack Kyser, chief economist The Chief Economist is a single position job class having primary responsibility for the development, coordination, and production of economic and financial analysis. It is distinguished from the other economist positions by the broader scope of responsibility encompassing the with the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Economic Development Corp., said upon being told of the funding decision. ``This is good news for the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, economy, and it's good news for the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in terms of its airlift capabilities The total capacity expressed in terms of number of passengers and/or weight/cubic displacement of cargo that can be carried at any one time to a given destination by available airlift. See also airlift requirement; allowable load; payload. .'' Money for the C-17 Globemaster will come through the Department of Defense appropriations bill, which the Senate had approved Monday afternoon. ``The C-17 has been essential to our nation's combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as our global fight against terror and our international human relief efforts,'' Feinstein said in a printed statement. ``This funding is critical for continuing its production, and it means that the thousands of Californians and others nationwide who are employed in its production will remain secure in their positions,'' she said. Boeing is Long Beach's largest employer, with about 5,500 people working at the C-17 facility. The aircraft production employs 6,000 more people around Southern California. Shutdown of C-17 production also would have been a severe economic blow to hundreds of subcontractors in the region. News of the funding delighted Southern California officials. ``I'm just elated to hear that there's going to be some additional work for the Boeing Co.,'' said Long Beach City Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, whose district includes the massive factory where the company manufactures Globemaster III cargo planes cargo plane n → avión m de carga cargo plane n → avion-cargo m cargo plane cargo n → . ``We need to make certain that the city does whatever it can to assist Boeing in getting additional work because certainly that employs people and that adds to our economy as we're trying to recover from a structural deficit,'' Schipske said. Robert Swayze, Long Beach Economic Development Bureau manager, noted that a recent congressional audit indicated the U.S. military needs more than the 180 C-17s previously ordered from Boeing. ``Ordering more C-17s is the biggest no-brainer in the history of military procurement,'' Swayze said. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] , who had been pressuring the president and Congress to help save the C-17 program, issued a statement praising Thursday's action. ``I am very pleased to see that our congressional leaders realize the importance of this incredible aircraft,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``This is terrific news.'' Lisa Friedman reported from Washington and Felix Sanchez from Long Beach. lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com (202) 662-8731 |
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