Guide to the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Collection McClellan Air Force Base Series Collection Number: 2001/059 Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center 1
Descriptive Summary Collection Name Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Collection Collection Number 2001/059/ Creator Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Extent 3 ½ cubic feet Repository Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center 551 Sequoia Pacific Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-264-7072 Abstract The McClellan Air Force Base Closure files are a series within the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Collection. The McClellan Air Force Base series is divided into 12 subseries: Chamber Business, Chamber Task Forces, California Military Base Reuse Task Force, California Chief Executive Officers Defense Privatization Task Force, BRAC, CORM, P.I.P. Program McClellan AFB Operations, McClellan Technology Center, Military Base Closures, and Newspaper articles. Within these subseries are the publications, newspaper articles, correspondence, meeting agendas, notes, reports, presentations, and press releases that the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce collected during its lobbying efforts to prevent the closure of the McClellan Air Force Base in the city of Sacramento and its work in privatizing the base as a commercial technology center. The inclusive dates for this series are 1983-1998 while the bulk of the documents dates from 1993-1998 when the Chamber s major lobbying efforts against the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) and closure of McClellan Air Force Base (AFB) occurred. The documents within this series not only reflect the Chamber s position on the controversial closure and privatization of McClellan Air Force Base and other military bases, but they also record the history of McClellan Air Force Base, its important economic role in the Sacramento community, and the history of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Committee (BRAC). 2
Administrative Information Restrictions None. Copyright All responsibility for possible infringement of copyright laws is assumed by the patron. If the material from the collection will be used for publication and/or commercial purposes, the patron will be required to accept all copyright obligations through a signed statement. Preferred Citation [Identification of item, prepared according to standard citation style such as MLA, ALA, or Turabian]. [Call Number]. Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Collection, City of Sacramento, History and Science Division, Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. Acquisition Information Acquired from the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Senior Vice President Jeff Crews, May 2001. Processing History McClellan Air Force Base series processed by Heather McCummins, 2005. Finding aid prepared by Heather McCummins, 2005. 3
Administrative History Founded in 1895, the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (SMCC) is the second largest chamber in California. A regional business organization, the SMCC serves the business and economic development needs of Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. The goal of the SMCC is to act as a catalyst in transforming the Sacramento region into an international center for commerce, learning, culture, and recreation. SMCC utilizes are variety of business techniques, such as networking, marketing, and education to assist business development in the Sacramento region. Located in the heart of Sacramento, the state s capitol, SMCC enjoys its close proximity and access to local, state, and federal politicians, key business decision makers, and world leaders. With its close political connections the Chamber is actively involved in the development of policies that will benefit businesses in the Sacramento community and promote economic development. (SMCC website: http://ww.metrochamber.org/resources/about.htm) California has the largest number of military installations in the nation with over 35 major facilities, which provide vital economic support to surrounding communities and the state. In 1990 the passage of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act phased out a number of military bases in California, resulting in the annual loss of $9.6 billion and the loss of nearly 100,000 defense-related jobs. 1 Sacramento was home to three military bases: Mather Air Force Base, the Sacramento Army Depot, and McClellan Air Force Base. In the 1980s and 1990s, Sacramento was hit hard by the series of military base closures ordered by the Department of Defense (DoD), losing all three military bases. McClellan Air Force Base and its Sacramento Air Logistics Center closed on July 13, 2001. Construction on the War Department s Sacramento Air Depot began on June 29, 1936. The new installation was renamed McClellan field in 1939 and when the United States Air Force (USAF) became an independent branch of the military in 1947 McClellan field became McClellan Air Force Base. Over the years, McClellan AFB became the home of the Sacramento Air Logistics Center, responsible for the maintenance and management of military aircraft, ground communication/electronics systems, fluid drive accessories and tactical shelters. The 3,700 acre base has over 150 industrial buildings and many unusual high-tech weapons support facilities, including the only industrial nuclear reactor operated by the Department of Defense. It employed approximately 15,000 workers, with one out of 50 employed workers in Sacramento and El Dorado county working on the base. The majority of the work force came from the local area and consisted of skilled/semiskilled technical and professional people. In 1995, the Department of Defense and BRAC commission recommended the closure of McClellan AFB. Recognizing the serious economic impact this would have on the Sacramento region, SMCC formed the Mission McClellan Task Force and began working with state, and federal legislatures to prevent the closure of McClellan. A major lobbying campaign was started to generate local support to use to persuade the Department of Defense and President Clinton against shutting down the base. Despite their efforts, the FY95 BRAC report included a decision 1 Office of Military Base Retention and Reuse. History of Base Closures http://commerce.ca.gov/state/ttca/ttca_html. 4
to privatize McClellan Air Force Base and its Sacramento Air Logistics Center, and to relocate ground communications equipment and personnel to another military base. Following his acceptance of the decision to close McClellan, in 1996 President Clinton and his administration pledged to assist in establishing a privatization program for the base to convert as many as 4,300 of the 8,700 government base jobs to private employment. The Privatization-in- Place (P.I.P.) Program would be a key component of the overall base reuse plan. SMCC organized the McClellan Task Force to assist in the development and implementation of the base reuse plan. As part of the P.I.P. program, in August 1996 the Air Force announced a plan to set up a competition for the aircraft overhaul workload performed at McClellan. On September 21, 1998, it was announced that Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah and Boeing Aircraft had won the competition. Today, many of the McClellan facilities and programs are operated by private contractors. McClellan Air Force Base is now home to the McClellan Technology Center and the Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento. The McClellan Air Force Base series of the SMCC collection contains the administrative and background files of the SMCC task forces and government commission associated with the closure and privatization of McClellan. These files contain correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, memoranda, presentations/papers, reports, and newspaper clippings. 5
Scope and Content The McClellan Air Force Base series is one of many series within the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce collection. The McClellan Air Force Base series consists of 3 ½ cubic feet of documents and one oversized folder that contains four oversized newsletter articles and one oversized blueprint map. The inclusive dates for this series are 1989-1998 while the bulk of the documents dates from 1993-1998 when the Chamber s major lobbying efforts against the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) and closure of McClellan Air Force Base (AFB) occurred. The McClellan AFB series is divided into 12 subseries: Chamber Business, Chamber Task Forces, California Military Base Reuse Task Force, California Chief Executive Officers Defense Privatization Task Force, BRAC, CORM, P.I.P. Program, McClellan AFB Operations, McClellan Technology Center, Military Base Closures, and Newspaper articles. Within these subseries are the publications, newspaper articles, correspondence, meeting agendas, notes, reports, presentations, and press releases that the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce collected during its lobbying efforts to prevent the closure of the McClellan Air Force Base in the city of Sacramento and its work in privatizing the base as a commercial technology center. The documents within this series not only reflect the Chamber s position on the controversial closure of McClellan Air Force Base and other military bases, but they also record the history of McClellan Air Force Base, its important economic role in the Sacramento community, and the history of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Committee (BRAC). Conservation work, such as removing staples and photocopying newspaper clippings, needs to be completed at a later date on documents throughout the series. This was not accomplished at this time due to the limited time frame of this project. The first subseries, Chamber business, contain documents that relate to the business role of the Chamber in relation to the Sacramento community and to McClellan Air Force Base. While some of the documents do not relate directly to McClellan AFB or the Chamber s efforts in connection with the base, they have been included in this subseries to provide background on the SMCC. Some of the topics within this subseries include Direct Connect, AM network, and the Capitol-to-Capitol campaign. Key people include legislators Robert Matsui and Vic Fazio, and County Supervisor Grantland Johnson. The documents include newspaper articles, magazines produced by the Chamber, publications, reports, notes, and photographs. The folders are listed in the finding aid and arranged by the type of document, while the items within the files are arranged chronologically. Four oversized magazines were moved to the oversized drawers (MC15:06). The second subseries, Chamber Task Forces, refers to the various task forces organized by the Chamber during its major lobbying campaign in 1995 against the closure of McClellan AFB and during the privatization and reuse planning for the base. This subseries contains the administrative papers of the task forces including the Chamber s correspondence with legislators, other chamber of commerce, military personnel and members of the BRAC commission; background reports; presentation papers and talking points; meeting agendas and minutes; publications and press releases; and legislation related to the base closures. Some of the major programs organized by the Chamber Task Forces include a postcard and letter writing campaign to President Clinton, base redevelopment, the Local Redevelopment Agency (LRA), and the 6
Capitol-to-Capitol lobbying program. The folders are organized first chronologically by the dates of the different task forces, then by the types of campaign and fundraising programs. Items within the folder are arranged chronologically. The third subseries and fourth subseries, California Military Base Reuse Task Force and California Chief Executive Officers Defense Privatization Task Force, were organized as individual subseries because they were appointed by the California s governor and not by SMCC. The California Military Base Reuse Task Force refers to a special task force appointed by California Governor Peter Wilson in 1994 to identify problems that had inhibited the successful conversion of closing California military bases. The California Chief Executive Officers Defense Privatization Task Force was organized in 1996 to examine the privatizationin-place of air force bases from a private-sector perspective. The folders contain the final reports presented to the governor. The fifth subseries, BRAC, contain documents pertaining to the actions and decision of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC). This subseries contains the meeting agendas and travel itineraries; notes of the commission members; presentations made to the commission in support of McClellan AFB; and the BRAC reports. The folders are arranged alphabetically, with the documents arranged chronologically within the folders. The sixth subseries, CORM, contain documents on the Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces (CORM), established by the National Defense Authorization Act of 1994. The purpose of CORM is to review the roles and mission of armed services and present their findings to Congress, the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The folders are arranged alphabetically, with the documents arranged chronologically. The documents include background information on the commission; meeting itineraries; presentations; and reports on the findings of the commission. The seventh subseries, P.I.P. Program, contain documents that deal with the privatization and reuse of McClellan AFB after the announcement of the decision to close it. Documents include background information on the different facilities and programs available at McClellan; presentations on the P.I.P. program; and reports for the reuse of the base. Folders are arranged alphabetically. The eighth subseries, McClellan AFB Operations, refer to the various facilities and support programs that operated on the military base. The documents within this subseries provide background information on the Advanced Electronics Technology Center, Air Logistics Center, Defense Finance and Accounting Services, and High Tech Cross Services. The files are arranged alphabetically and contain correspondences about the different services, promotional publications, talking points for presentations, and reports. An oversize blueprint map of McClellan site locations was transferred from file folder 3 McClellan AFB Operations: Reports (July 1997) to an oversize drawer (MC15:06). The ninth subseries, McClellan Technology Center, contain documents which pertain to its development as part of the base reuse plan. Although this subseries relates to the base operations, it has been organized as its own subseries since the Technology Center was 7
established following BRAC and subsequent relocation of many of the base operations. The subseries contain publications promoting the Technology Center as a place for private companies and businesses to establish themselves. The tenth subseries, Military Base closures, contain documents pertaining to the closures of other military bases throughout the country by the Department of Defense and BRAC Commission. Many of the documents relate to the closure of California military bases, specifically Mather AFB and the Sacramento Army Depot. These two Sacramento area bases were both closed in 1993, despite the lobbying efforts of the SMCC. Documents include correspondences between different organizations about lobbying effort and base reuse plans; newspaper articles about the different base closures; reports; and committee meeting minutes and agendas. The Mather Reuse Team (1993) file and Mather news articles contain newspaper clippings that need to be photocopied. The files are organized alphabetically. The eleventh subseries, news articles, contain newspaper articles on the closure of military bases throughout the nation. The major newspapers include the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, as well as other smaller newspapers. The documents are organized chronologically within the folders. The newspaper articles were not photocopied due to the large number of newspaper clippings and the limited time frame on this project. 8
Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Collection McClellan Air Force Base Closure Series Collection Number 2001/059/ I. Chamber Business, 1989-1997 14ff Box 1. Folder 1 Newspaper Articles, 1993-1995 Folder 2 Magazines, 1989, 1994-1995. Includes All About Business in Sacramento, Sacramento Business, Greater Sacramento Area, Sacramento Today. (11 x 17 Business Journal 1995 removed to Oversized Materials, MC15:06) Folder 3 Magazines, 1996-1997. Includes Comstock s, The New Yorker, Sacramento. Folder 4 Business Guides, 1988-1995 Folder 5-6 Publications, 1983, 1989. Includes Sacramento Chamber of Commerce Membership Directory and Buyer s Guide. Folder 7 Reports, 1993, 1995. Folder 8-9 Reports, 1994. Folder 10 Reports, 1994. Folder 11-12 Events, 1994. -Chamber Video Footage -Photographs Box 2. Folder 13 Events, 1996 Folder 14 California Pride Campaign, 1996. II. Chamber Task Force: A. McClellan AFB Civic Leaders Task Force 1990-1991) 3ff Folder 15 Committee, 1990-1991 Folder 16 Correspondence, 1990-1991 Folder 17 Reports, 1990 B. Mission McClellan 10ff Folder 18 Committees, 1995 Folder 19 Correspondence, 1995 Folder 20 Financial, 1995 Folder 21 News Releases, 1995 Folder 22 Publications, 1995 Folder 23-24 Fundraising, 1994-1995 Folder 25 Events, May 1995 Folder 26 Save McClellan Campaign, 1995 9
Folder 27 Letter Campaign to President Clinton, 1994-1995 C. Team McClellan 1994-1995 1ff Folder 28-29 Meeting agendas and notes, 1994-1995 D. Military Base Reuse Team 1997 1ff Folder 30 Reports, April 1997 Box 3. Box 4. E. McClellan Task Force 1997-1998 17ff Folder 31 April-May 1997 Folder 32-33 June 1997 Folder 34 July 1997 Folder 35 August-September 1997 Folder 36 October-December 1997 Folder 37 1998 Folder 38 No Dates Folder 39 Legislative Team 1997 Folder 40 LRA Folder 41 Red Team 1997 Folder 42 Red Team 1998 Folder 43 Red Team: Base Reuse Program Boeing Company Folder 44 Sacramento Editorial Board Meeting 1997 Folder 45 Letter Campaign to President Clinton 1997 Folder 46-47 Newspaper Articles 1997-1998, ND III. California Military Base Reuse Task Force 1994 Folder 48 Reports, January 1994 IV. California Chief Executive Officers Defense Privatization Task Force 1996 Folder 49 Reports, 1996 1ff 1ff V. BRAC 1993, 1995 8ff Folder 50 Committee Folder 51 Correspondence Folder 52 Presentations/Papers, 1995 Folder 53 Press Releases, 1995 Folder 54 Report, February 1993 Folder 55 Reports Folder 56 Reports, April 1995 Box 5. Folder 57 Report, May 1995 10
VI. CORM 1994-1995 Folder 58 Committee, 1994 Folder 59 Presentations, 1994 Folder 60 Reports, May 1995 VII. P.I.P. Program 1995-1997 Folder 61 General Folder 62-63 Presentations, July 1995 Folder 64 Reports, 1995 Folder 65-66 Reports, July 1997 3ff 6ff Box 6. VIII. McClellan AFB Operations 1991-1993 14ff Folder 67 Advanced Electronics Technology Center Folder 68 Air Logistics Center: Correspondence Folder 69 Air Logistics Center: Publications, 1991-1993 Folder 70 Air Logistics Center: Reports Folder 71 Defense Finance and Accounting Services, 1993 Folder 72 High Tech Cross Services Folder 73 Presentations: Talking Points Folder 74-75 Publications. Includes McClellan So Much More than Another Air Force Base. Folder 76 Reports Folder 77-80 Reports, July 1997 IX. McClellan Technology Center 1997 Folder 81 Publications, 1997 1ff Box 7. X. Military Base Closures 9ff A. Los Angeles AFB Folder 82 Report, 1990 B. Mather AFB Folder 83 Advisory Committee, 1987 Folder 84 Sacramento Area Commission on Mather Conversion, 1989 Folder 85 Reuse Team, 1993 Folder 86 Newspaper articles Folder 87-88 Reports,1984-1993 B. Sacramento Army Depot Reuse Commission 1993 Folder 89 Meeting agendas and notes, 1993 C. Military Base Closures 1993-1995 Folder 90 11
XI. News Articles 1992-1993, ND Folder 92 News Articles 1992-1993 Folder 94 News Articles 1995-ND 2ff 12