Led by Supervisor Don Knabe, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously offered its support this week to try and woo Boeing’s 777X production to Long Beach’s plant. Following suit, the Long Beach City Council unanimously passed their own resolution Tuesday night, which mirrored the actions of the Board.
The moves of support come after Boeing’s announcement last week that their proposed deal to build the new 777x airliner in Seattle ultimately fell through due to labor union disagreements, opening up the aircraft manufacturer’s business to the entire nation, including possible sites in Alabama and South Carolina, where Boeing has a nonunion 787 assembly plant.
Knabe and the Board, however, feel that Long Beach is unquestionably the best location for construction of Boeing’s latest airliner, both because of its shared history with the company—Long Beach is the home to Boeing’s C-17 cargo plane assemblage, which will be built until it is officially discontinued in 2015—and its vast collection of skilled workers.
“There is no better place in the nation for Boeing to build the 777X [than Long Beach],” Knabe said. “Thousands of people who have the know-how and ability to build a world-class airplane reside here.”
The 777X, unveiled Monday at the Dubai Airshow, is being dubbed by Boeing as the “the largest and most fuel-efficient twin-engine commercial jetliner in aviation history” thanks to its composite wing design. And if built in Long Beach, would save thousands of jobs that are currently in question.
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Speculation has been brewing that Governor Jerry Brown and Boeing have been in talks though neither have officially spoken on the possible deal. Brook Taylor, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development did tell a Northern Californian news outlet that they are “actively working to expand all facets of Boeing’s operation in California.”
In addition to sending a letter to Boeing, the Board also voted to urge Governor Brown and legislative representatives in both Sacramento and D.C. to advocate for the business to be brought back to Long Beach.
Read more:
- Boeing Seeks New Site to Build 777x After Washington Union Rejects Deal
- Boeing Announces Tentative Agreement to Build 777x in Washington; Leaves 5K Long Beach Jobs in Question
- Schipske Urges City to Secure Boeing Workforce for 777x Production
- Boeing to Ground Long Beach C-17 Cargo Plane Facility in 2015
- Long Beach Boeing Delivers Final C-17 Cargo Plane to U.S. Military