Bush OKs Closing 7 California Bases : Military: Action clears the way for Congress to act on recommendation covering 34 sites nationwide.

President Bush on Wednesday approved the recommendations of an independent commission to close 34 military installations across the country, including seven major sites in California, and forwarded the paperwork to Congress.

Signing a letter of transmittal, Bush praised the panel and said he had decided on “a total acceptance” of the work that its members completed 10 days ago.

“Any time you close a base someplace, you’re going to have people in that district or that state raise Cain about it. And I can understand that,” the President told a news conference.

“But this commission has served without political motivation, and the report, I’m satisfied, is without political bias or motivation.”

The Pentagon is enthusiastic about the recommendations because they help fulfill “the need for a balanced and structured force with less money being spent on it,” Bush added.

The seven-member Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended shutting down these California facilities: the Long Beach Naval Station, the Army’s Ft. Ord near Monterey, the Sacramento Army Depot, the Marine Corps Air Station at Tustin, Castle Air Force Base in Merced County, Hunters Point Naval Annex near San Francisco and Moffet Field Naval Air Station at Sunnyvale.

In addition, four smaller engineering and electronic activities in Los Angeles, San Diego and Vallejo will be closed or consolidated.

But the panel rejected Pentagon proposals to close the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, the Naval Fleet Training Center and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.

The commission’s recommendations will take effect automatically unless both houses of Congress vote to block the entire package within 45 days. Congress cannot attack the findings piecemeal. Individual bases would be closed over a period of six years.

Although lawmakers in some states are mounting legal challenges to block the closing of some facilities, no such actions are expected in California, members of Congress said. Most lawmakers seem to believe that although some areas may be hurt by the loss of jobs associated with base closings, the reduction of the U.S. defense establishment is necessary and the process of having an independent commission do it was the fairest possible way.

“I intend to support the package of recommendations when it comes to a vote, although I’m very disturbed that Ft. Ord remained on the list,” Sen. John Seymour (R--Calif.) said.

“But when you look at the entire picture, with the Long Beach shipyard and some others spared from the chopping block, I feel pretty satisfied. I met with each commission member individually and I feel that overall their recommendations were based on merit.”

The closings will reduce civilian jobs at California military installations from 132,000 to 122,000, Seymour said. Military personnel will be transferred either within the state or to other locations.

“When a base is closed, we will need to redevelop that site economically,” he added. “And we must have legislation assuring that all toxic wastes are cleaned up before the military abandons any site.”

Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said the commission’s recommendations will save an estimated $1.5 billion annually. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said the report is “a pretty good piece of work . . . and is generally happy with it,” Williams told reporters.

He noted that Cheney has no authority to change any recommendations, as is the case with members of Congress.

Jim Courter, a former Republican congressman who served as the panel’s chairman, predicted that the package will receive “the blessing of Congress,” although he said he expects some litigation. Sen. Arlen Specter (R--Pa.) and some members of the Pennsylvania delegation already have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the proposed closing of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Naval Station.