U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has endorsed  House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi 's(D-Calif) recommendation to President George W. Bush of two Californians to serve on the nation's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission—Vic Fazio, a former Democratic congressman from California and Wade Sanders, a Californian who had served as depty assistant Navy secretary during President Bill Clinton's administration.

Both nominees are "highly qualified candidates who would insure that California is well represented on the BRAC Commission," Feinstein said in a Jan. 14 news release.. She noted that Fazio had served on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and that Sanders "has extensive knowledge of military transformation issues and worked on previousl BRAC rounds."

The senator said that "ensuring California representation on this commission is critcal. California was hit hard in the past four BRAC rounds. Since 1988, california has lost 29 bases an an estimated 93,000 jobs. We shouldered 60 percent of the net personnel cuts and lost more jobs than all other states combined."

   —Donald H. Harrison