Fight Promised to Keep NUMMI Open

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is not giving up on having a NUMMI plant in the Bay Area, despite news reports that Toyota Motors Inc. will end all production at the facility by next March.

For the record, Toyota hasn't made an official announcement on the matter.  We should also mention that Garamendi is running for Congress.

Garamendi released a statement Monday that said, "Toyota needs to know unequivocally that Californians want them to stay and we are willing to work for it."

NUMMI is a 25-year-old joint venture between General Motors and Toyota.

GM announced in June that it will withdraw from the partnership and Toyota, which is still making Toyota Corolla cars and Toyota Tacoma  trucks at the Fremont facility, said in July that it is also considering  withdrawing from the joint venture but a final decision hasn't yet been made.

NUMMI spokesman Lance Tomasu couldn't be reached for comment Monday.

Garamendi, who chairs the Commission for Economic Development, also said, "Thirty-five counties statewide have businesses that  serve NUMMI in one capacity or another. If that plant closes, California will face an estimated loss of 35,000 jobs directly and indirectly. For California's future, NUMMI is too big to fail."