Group Backs Plan to Build Military Homes : Aerospace: Lawmakers vow to push proposal that calls for 23 acres of San Pedro parkland to be used for Air Force housing.
Declaring that California and the region cannot afford further layoffs in the aerospace industry, a bipartisan group of federal, state and local lawmakers Monday vowed to push forward with a controversial plan to earmark 23 acres of San Pedro parkland for badly needed Air Force housing.
The plan, unveiled last month, is described by supporters as crucial to keeping the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center in El Segundo. Closure of the base, they say, would not only mean the departure of several thousand Air Force personnel but the loss of up to $7 billion in aerospace contracts affecting as many as 80,000 jobs in aerospace and other industries.
“California and especially Southern California is the aerospace capital of the world . . . (and) this facility is central to maintaining that success and that posture,” Gov. Pete Wilson said at a news conference held to trumpet the proposal and illustrate its support among local politicians and business leaders.
Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley said: “There are some who thought this day would never come and I’m pleased to say it’s here. It’s here.”
Under the plan, developed by Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District, 23 acres of school district property at Angels Gate Park in San Pedro would be deeded to the city. The city would then enter into a 50-year, $1-a-year lease with the Air Force to allow it to build up to 250 two-story homes for officers.
To advance that plan, Wilson, Bradley, school board member Warren Furutani and Harbor area Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores met at the Air Force base to sign a letter of commitment to the project. The letter, sent to Air Force Secretary Donald B. Rice, commits the officials to winning the project’s approval from the City Council, school board and other agencies.
Air Force officials have cautioned that receiving the property for housing does not guarantee that the base will remain in El Segundo, but that it would almost certainly close if the housing is not provided. That warning has been enough to quickly enlist support for the plan among an array of lawmakers as politically diverse as Rep. Mel Levine (D-Santa Monica) and Flores, a Republican candidate for Congress whose council district includes San Pedro.
At the same time, however, the proposal has sharply divided Harbor area residents. While a citizens advisory panel appointed by Flores has endorsed the plan, opposition among many residents is clear. Last month, at a public hearing on the proposal, almost two dozen residents argued that the plan would mean the loss of scarce parkland and damage the quality of life in San Pedro.
Further, opponents have argued that the Air Force should look elsewhere to build its housing because San Pedro has more than 700 Navy housing units and 570 Air Force units--170 of which were built since the Air Force last warned that it might relocate in the late 1980s.
“I want the Air Force to stay. But I don’t think they should be put in Angels Gate,” said San Pedro resident Carey Leviss. “The business community is on board (for the proposal). But the residential community is not.”
Mindful of the continuing opposition to the plan, Flores said she intends to work with critics to ease their concerns about the design and density of the Air Force housing proposal. Likewise, she said, she will stress that the plan calls for the parkland to revert back to the city, rather than remain with the Air Force, if the El Segundo base is relocated.
Flores made it clear she believes that a majority of San Pedro residents support the project. “When you weigh the need (for jobs) versus what you have to give up, I believe a very wide majority of the community is supportive. And we will try to deal with the concerns of the rest of them.”
Levine said: “The importance of maintaining this base should not be underestimated by anybody.”
