The Pentagon says it would like to shut down the California National Guard Base in Fresno which is home to the 144th Fighter Wing.
According to the 2013 defense budget, the base down south in Riverside would also close. The federal government's plan is to split air defense coverage of the west coast between units in Montana, South Dakota and Oregon.
State Assemblyman, Henry T. Perea, says the decision does not make economical or geographical sense.
“To propose moving them is a huge mistake and they're going to hear that from a bipartisan group of legislators on Monday as we give political support to our congressional delegation to fight against this bad move,” said Assemblyman Henry T Perea.
The Pentagon's proposal comes during the middle of a planned upgrade. In August, the 144th Fighter Wing is scheduled to phase out its F-16 fighter jets and convert to superior F-15s, which are coming from a base in Montana.
“They’ve invested millions of dollars in personnel. It's actually been shown to cost the federal government money to move them,” said Perea.
Relying on units out of state means response times to west coast threats would increase significantly.
“I think it's definitely a cog in the wheel we should keep for now. It's the only major base in Central California that has that kind of mission,” said Adrian Viveros, an Air Force veteran.
Viveros once went through a base closure himself. He feels bad for the 1,000 men and women who could lose their jobs, but on the flip side he says the federal government should provide them excellent support.
“Whether it’s finding another job, another position, another unit or just giving people early retirement the Air Force definitely helps people out in that regard,” said Viveros.
In order for the base to shutdown Congress would have to approve it. That vote is likely still 3 or 4 months away.
Meanwhile, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense telling him closing the Fresno base is a bad decision.