CALIFORNIA TAKES ANOTHER PUNCH

The Defense Base Closure Commission has voted to eliminate the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and the jobs of its 4,000 employees. California has been hit especially hard in the latest round of cuts. Yesterday, the commission recommended closing Sacramento's huge McClellan Air Force Base, eliminating 12,000 jobs. The closings are bad news not only for California but for President Clinton, saysTIME's Mark Thompson. "This is a real political problem for Clinton. He has to take California to win the 1996 election, and approving these cuts isn't going to make him very popular there." The entire list of base closings will be submitted for the President's approval on July 1.