Preserving Aerospace: The Economic Backbone of the 36th District

By Stephen Eisele

The past decade has seen tens of thousands of jobs lost in the aerospace and high-technology sectors from the district. It's not just about the actual jobs, but also the loss of highly skilled individuals and talent that are critical to sustaining the industries and other innovations in the district. Many small businesses and other professional services were established thanks in part to these industries and communities. It's time to preserve our future and fight to keep jobs here.

If we don't stand up and fight for these critical industries today, we risk permanently losing a significant part of our skilled labor force, high-tech jobs, and irreplaceable part of our industrial base.

For a long time, California was the birthplace of innovation and inspiration not only for entertainment but also entrepreneurs who helped define our local heritage in the creation of aerospace, high-technology, and manufacturing businesses. I've worked in aerospace for almost a decade and possess the know-how and willingness to fight to keep these important jobs in our district.

Let's safeguard these businesses for our families and communities.

We need to:

• Make California competitive again by bringing national and state corporate tax rates in line with the global economy and reduce barriers to entry for new aerospace & tech companies
• Rally the California Congressional delegation, state legislators, and community to support the California Aerospace and hi-tech industries

• Maintain a robust aerospace & high-technology sector by:

• Revisiting strict export control rules (such as ITAR) that prevent U.S. satellite and aerospace manufacturers from being competitive
• Supporting government R&D projects that are too risky for the private sector to take on
• Promoting use of innovative solutions such as NASA Challenges and prizes (government and private) to foster "innovation through competition"
• Promoting commercial/private sector alternatives for suborbital space missions, low-earth orbit missions & exploration (including cargo transport, human spaceflight)
• Encouraging government agencies to focus on deep space exploration (including asteroid missions, Moon & Mars)