Huge Economic Losses Seen if Bases in State Are Closed

Congressional determination to try to nail shut the Defense Department pork barrel by closing non-essential military bases could have a significant impact on California, especially the San Francisco Bay Area.

No military installations in California have been closed in this decade but, during that time, closure or cutbacks have been suggested for a number of bases in the state. Most notable, perhaps, has been the San Francisco Presidio, the nation’s oldest continuously active military installation.

The House and Senate Wednesday passed legislation, expected to be signed by President Reagan, allowing an independent commission formed last May to recommend the closure of 20 to 50 of the nation’s 871 military facilities, which could trim $2 billion to $5 billion annually from the defense budget.

The commission is scheduled to release a list of bases recommended for closure by Dec. 31, but congressional sources said Thursday that an informal list already exists.

Congressional sources in California and on Capitol Hill have cited seven military facilities in the state that are often discussed as redundant or obsolete. All are in Northern California.

Besides the Presidio, they are Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento, the Naval Air Rework Facility in Alameda, the Naval Regional Medical Center and Naval Supply Center in Oakland, the Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant northeast of Modesto and the Point Arena Air Force Station in Anchor Bay, about 100 miles up the coast from San Francisco.

Pentagon and congressional experts, however, caution that inclusion on past lists does not necessarily doom the facilities to closure by the Commission on Base Realignment and Closure. The commission’s charter directs it to consider the military services’ “current and future mission requirement” as well as economic impact and community reaction to any proposed closings. There are 104 military facilities in California, which represents 12% of the U.S. total.

Closure of the four Bay Area facilities would have the biggest impact, although it is difficult to gauge exactly how severe it would be. The three Navy bases, for example, are not among the biggest of the 17 naval facilities ringing the bay.

The Navy estimates that its bases--including such mammoth facilities as the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and Alameda Naval Air Station--pump $3.2 billion annually into the Bay Area economy. They also provide 29,000 civilian and 26,000 military jobs, making the Navy the largest employer in the nation’s fourth-most-populous metropolitan area.

“They play a significant role in our economy stream, no doubt about it,” said Edward R. Campbell, chairman of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, which recently established a task force to discuss the Navy role in the local economy and how it could be affected by the proposed homeporting of the battleship Missouri in San Francisco.

The Missouri issue has proved controversial among San Francisco politicians for several reasons, from philosophical to environmental to economic; voters will have their say on the matter with two November ballot measures.

“It would be fairly devastating (to the regional economy) if they shut down any of the porting facilities,” Campbell said.

The most profound Bay Area impact could come from the loss of the historic and scenic Presidio of San Francisco, which has been in continuous operation as a military outpost since Spanish conquistadores established it in 1776 on a bluff overlooking what would eventually be known as the Golden Gate.

Today, the base, which sprawls over 1,400 scenic, heavily wooded acres in the northwest corner of the city, is headquarters of the 6th Army, which manages Army Reserve and National Guard training in 12 western states.

It also houses about 25 other, smaller military operations, including the Letterman Army Institute of Research and the Letterman Army Medical Center. Together, the operations employ 2,000 civilians and 3,000 military personnel; their bucolic setting also provides the city with what is essentially a public park that is larger by about 40% than huge Golden Gate Park.

In addition, congressional sources say the Presidio, eyed by real estate experts as a potential gold mine for development, houses no important Army command and could net the federal government a hefty sum.

City spokeswoman Eileen Maloney said that San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos had not heard the latest speculation about the Presidio’s demise--it last was reported on the auction block in the late 1970s--and she added: “The mayor is not going to respond to a rumor.”

The Alameda and Oakland facilities were on a list of 22 potential closures that former Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger presented to Congress in March, 1985. But after lawmakers charged that the list targeted only bases in the districts of representatives unfriendly to Pentagon programs, Weinberger backed away from the list, calling it merely “notional.”

The Air Force officially slated Mather for closure in January, 1987. But Rep. Robert Matsui (D-Sacramento) spearheaded an effort to block the move, winning congressional approval to disallow the use of appropriated funds for such a closure.

This year, Matsui and Rep. Vic Fazio (D-Sacramento) added $2.3 million to the Pentagon’s request to build a base flight operations facility at Mather, an investment that could make Mather more difficult to close. The base, with an annual payroll of $242.3 million, is home to a flight training wing, a wing of B-52 bombers and an air refueling group.

Moreover, Mather’s 70-bed hospital serves a community of military retirees which, at 40,000, is the nation’s second-largest. Two years ago, the Air Force surgeon general proposed expansion of the facility.

Hospital services are also at stake at the Navy’s Regional Medical Center in Oakland, which was built before state earthquake codes. Retrofitting costs make its closure appear more attractive, congressional experts say.

Planned investments at the Alameda Air Rework Facility, an aircraft service facility, also may make that base tough to close. In 1988, Congress approved $16 million for construction of a plating shop and $11.4 million for an intermediate aircraft maintenance facility.

In both Orange and San Diego counties, there was little fear expressed that those regions’ numerous military bases would be included in any base closures.

Two of the bases, Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro and the Marine Corps Air Station at Tustin, are among only four Marine Corps air bases on the West Coast. A third base is the Naval Weapons Station at Seal Beach, which supplies ships of the Pacific fleet with weapons.

Although noise from jets at El Toro generate considerable controversy, a private poll just conducted in Orange County found the majority of residents favor the bases for reasons of national security.

With 130,000 people on active duty in greater San Diego, the military is the region’s single largest employer.

Mark A. Stein reported from San Francisco and Melissa Healy from Washington. Also contributing to this story were Times staff writers Jane Fritsch in San Diego, Jim Carlton in Orange County and Roxana Kopetman in Long Beach.

MILITARY BASES THAT MAY BE CLOSED

These California military bases have been recommended for closure or personnel reductions over the last 10 years. Those listed in bold (**) type are considered the most likely candidates for closure under the commission authorized by Congress. In all, military bases account for 3.5% of all land in California. Of all Department of Defense land in the United States, California bases represent 15%.

1. Pt. Arena Air Force Station, Anchor Bay, Mendocino County.**

2. Mather Air Force Base, Sacramento County.**

3. Alameda Naval Air Station,* Alameda.

4. Naval Air Rework Facility, Alameda.**

5. Naval Regional Medical Center, Oakland.**

6. Naval Supply Center, Oakland.**

7. Presidio, San Francisco.**

8. Letterman Army Hospital, San Francisco.

9. Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant, Riverbank, Stanislaus County.**

10. Port Hueneme Naval Hospital, Port Hueneme.

11. Los Angeles Air Force Station, El Segundo.

12. North Island Naval Air Rework Facility,* San Diego County.

13. Naval Training Center, San Diego.

14. Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.

* Bases where personnel reduction has been recommended