Port Hueneme—On Monday, June 17, the City Council unanimously approved the Regional Defense Partnership budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
The agreement means a $8,362 increase in budget appropriation and annual cost of living adjustments from $5,000 in prior years to continue participation with the Regional Defense Partnership.
The Regional Defense Partnership (RDP) is Ventura County’s community-based organization that advocates for and supports the county’s military facilities and defense contractors as community assets and is essential to national defense.
The RDP is a working partnership that includes elected officials from the County of Ventura and its 10 cities, retired federal and state political leaders, senior military officials, defense contractors, local colleges, and others.
The Regional Defense Partnership generates $80 million in new work per year for Naval Base Ventura County (NVBC), Ventura County’s largest employer. The Navy, alone, not counting the Air Guard or Coast Guard, employs 24,000 civilians and 4,091 active-duty personnel, with a payroll of $4.6 billion.
City Manager James Vega said that in the past, the Regional Defense Partnership’s annual budget request was about $5,000 for about 20 years.
“They have notified us, starting this year, they have recognized this is not sustainable for RDP anymore,” he…
