By: GARY KNIGHT - For the North County Times
Every month, the San Diego North Economic Development Council looks at a business cluster that is considered a major force in the North County economy. This month, we are looking at the military/defense cluster.
What would North County look like if we woke up one morning to find that the military had left San Diego? "Impossible," you say? San Diego has been a military town for as long as people can remember, so it is hard to imagine what it would be like without them.
However, let's imagine for a moment that Camp Pendleton, Miramar and the other military bases were closed. What would be the economic impact? Using 2004 numbers, the military payroll for San Diego was more than $6 billion (both military and civilian) for 120,000-plus employees.
The contract awards for military-related work for the Navy and Marines were more than $8 billion. Looking at Camp Pendleton alone, the money spent on housing and facilities, health care, environmental services, education and charitable activities totaled more than $600 million.
Likewise, because of population loss and changes in local income, base closures also affect the ability of local governments to raise revenue. Revenue from property taxes, sales tax, licenses and permits, and state and federal aid are influenced by population gains and losses. Local government expenditures and services, such as water and sewerage costs, highways, public safety and education can also be affected by closure and realignment, depending on the extent to which the military base is integrated into the community's fiscal planning.
Another facet to this discussion is the number of military personnel who choose to live and work here after they complete their service commitments. Many of our neighbors and friends are ex-military who decided to stay here to pursue careers and raise their families.
This point was driven home to me last week when I attended a job fair on Camp Pendleton hosted by Hirepatriots.com, at which 120 companies were looking to fill open positions in their businesses with soon-to-be discharged or retiring military personnel. Some of the companies actually did interviews on site and offered employment to many of the attendees.
Our military is an outstanding source for finding a highly trained, disciplined and dedicated work force.
What would San Diego look like without the military? I hope we never have to find out.
