MOORPARK : Campaign to Prevent Litton Move Begins

Moorpark business leaders and elected officials have launched a campaign to persuade Litton Industries to keep the company’s 600-employee aeroproducts division in the city.

Business leaders and elected officials who represent the city, including Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) and Ventura County Supervisor Vicky Howard, have agreed to write letters asking Litton to keep its Moorpark plant open, said Carol Hunt, executive director of the local Chamber of Commerce.

In addition, Hunt said she is trying to schedule a meeting between elected officials and company representatives.

Beverly Hills-based Litton announced three weeks ago that it will abandon its Moorpark plant later this year.

The company had planned for two years to move its 600-employee aeroproducts division to Canoga Park and relocate the 1,500-employee Data Systems group, which manufactures command systems for the armed forces, from Van Nuys to Moorpark. The division produces electronic components for aircraft.

To accommodate the larger work force, a large addition was planned for the Moorpark plant.

But the giant defense contractor recently changed those plans, announcing it would instead save money by moving the Data Systems division into an existing Agoura Hills facility. Meanwhile, the aeroproducts division is still scheduled to move out of Moorpark in several months.