RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — Many people are expected to lose their jobs at the Commercial Metals Company steel mill in Rancho Cucamonga.

Paul Ortiz has worked at the mill for 26 years.

“I almost fell down. I almost fell down on my face cause that’s a lot of people that are going to lose jobs,” said Ortiz.

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A corporate spokeswoman confirms they are closing a large part of the mill. Ortiz believes more than 100 people will be let go.

In a statement, CMC spokeswoman Susan Gerber wrote:

The burdensome regulatory environment and cost of doing business in California has put the Rancho Cucamonga melt shop at a severe cost disadvantage in the highly competitive rebar market. Therefore, CMC has decided to shutter the melt shop and supply the rolling mill with billet from excess melt capacity throughout our system of lower cost mills.

Ortiz agrees the state has not made it easy to do business.

“They want to come down on us and we got good paying jobs. We got good paying jobs here that we are losing to other states because of all their demands on us and the restraints they’re putting on us within this state. It’s not fair. It’s not fair,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz is in a unique position. He’s the president of United Steelworkers Local 8065. As union leader, he’s negotiating some of the terms of this closure.

The melt shop is what will be closing. This is where old steel is melted into rebar for construction.

Ortiz has seen several police departments bring guns to the mill to be melted and reused. He says this is the only place in California where you can do that.