DEFENSE-LESS TERRITORY - WORKERS, COMMUNITIES, AND THE DECLINE OF MILITARY PRODUCTION IN LOS-ANGELES

The dominant role played by aerospace and other military-related produ ction in the Southern Californian economy for decades has shaped the l ocal geography of industrial development and contributed to the emerge nce of specialized spatial labor markets linking defense-related emplo yment sites with the homes of defense-sector workers. But the recent d ecline in defense-related employment is bringing economic dislocation to the region, which will be felt most intensely by those workers and neighborhoods with strong and long-established ties to the sector. In this paper, the major sites of defense-related production in Los Angel es County are identified and the social and spatial position of segmen ts of the defense sector labor force in the region are described. Defe nse-dependent communities are identified, and the implications of defe nse spending cuts on groupings of workers and on communities are discu ssed.