Antelope Valley Industry

After eliminating 15,000 jobs this decade, the eight major aerospace and defense concerns in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys and Ventura County still cannot make any promises about job security. Hughes Aircraft Co., ITT Corp., Litton Industries Inc., Lockheed Corp., Northrop Corp., Rockwell International Corp., Teledyne Inc. and Textron Inc. have collectively slashed 40% of their local work force since 1990, and they are understandably wary about the future.

After years of boom, bust and civil strife, the Antelope Valley is now on the path to economic development--with a lot of help from its friends. The valley, which includes the high desert cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, received Enterprise Zone status from the state in 1997. That enabled local communities to offer tax breaks and other incentives from the state, Los Angeles County and the city-owned Los Angeles World Airports authority to attract companies. The results so far are impressive.

Local stocks staged a modest turnaround in the third quarter, as 58% of the stocks showed gains in value. This was an improvement over the first and second quarters of 1994, when three in five local stocks suffered a loss in value. On average, area stocks increased 6% in value in the three months ended Sept. 30, roughly mirroring gains seen in larger markets. The NASDAQ Composite Index of about 4,000 mostly small company stocks rose 8% in the third quarter.

Three contractors are vying to build the X-33, a prototype for a reusable launch vehicle envisioned as a low-cost replacement for the space shuttle. The experimental, single-stage spacecraft would have a lightweight composite structure, reusable cryogenic tanks, and durable thermal protection systems--all capable of withstanding multiple launches and reentries. It would be about 100 feet long, and would be fueled by liquid hydrogen. NASA will select the winning X-33 design in June.

Three contractors are vying to build the X-33, a prototype for a reusable launch vehicle envisioned as a low-cost replacement for the space shuttle. The experimental, single-stage spacecraft would have a lightweight composite structure, reusable cryogenic tanks, and durable thermal protection systems--all capable of withstanding multiple launches and reentries. It would be about 100 feet long, and would be fueled by liquid hydrogen. NASA will select the winning X-33 design in June.

After years of boom, bust and civil strife, the Antelope Valley is now on the path to economic development--with a lot of help from its friends. The valley, which includes the high desert cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, received Enterprise Zone status from the state in 1997. That enabled local communities to offer tax breaks and other incentives from the state, Los Angeles County and the city-owned Los Angeles World Airports authority to attract companies. The results so far are impressive.

The Antelope Valley doesn't want the San Fernando Valley's smog. It doesn't want the more populous valley's crime or crowding. And it doesn't want the jammed streets that come with life in the big city. But when the talk turns to jobs and business, now that's a different story.

Representatives of the Antelope Valley's largest water provider and builders reached a tentative agreement Tuesday on proposed new water facility fees of up to several thousand dollars per new home built in the region. The agreement came only after months of negotiation. In the process, officials of the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency accepted the Building Industry Assn.'s demands to exempt certain projects and phase in the fees over three years.

As a result of three recent fires at Antelope Valley construction sites, Los Angeles County fire officials have warned builders and contractors that safety regulations at construction sites will be strictly enforced and violators will be cited. The crackdown, announced this week by Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, was spurred by the three fires in less than a month and applies to construction sites countywide, Fire Department spokesman Don Kanallakan said.

Responding to an eleventh-hour plea by home builders, the Palmdale City Council has agreed to suspend a city ban due to take effect this weekend on 4-by-8-foot signs used to advertise new housing projects. After years of debate, the city in mid-October banned builders' smaller stick signs that had long cluttered city streets, drawing complaints from residents that the signs were ugly.

Local stocks staged a modest turnaround in the third quarter, as 58% of the stocks showed gains in value. This was an improvement over the first and second quarters of 1994, when three in five local stocks suffered a loss in value. On average, area stocks increased 6% in value in the three months ended Sept. 30, roughly mirroring gains seen in larger markets. The NASDAQ Composite Index of about 4,000 mostly small company stocks rose 8% in the third quarter.

After eliminating 15,000 jobs this decade, the eight major aerospace and defense concerns in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys and Ventura County still cannot make any promises about job security. Hughes Aircraft Co., ITT Corp., Litton Industries Inc., Lockheed Corp., Northrop Corp., Rockwell International Corp., Teledyne Inc. and Textron Inc. have collectively slashed 40% of their local work force since 1990, and they are understandably wary about the future.

The Antelope Valley doesn't want the San Fernando Valley's smog. It doesn't want the more populous valley's crime or crowding. And it doesn't want the jammed streets that come with life in the big city. But when the talk turns to jobs and business, now that's a different story.

In a mostly symbolic gesture aimed at helping revive the local home-building business and save construction jobs, a divided City Council voted to rescind a 3.2% increase in city engineering and building and safety fees that took effect in July. The increase was mandated by a 1991 ordinance passed by the council that provided for automatic cost-of-living adjustments to city fees each July.