Base Politics Intrude on Bases : Heartening example of Tustin shows how conversion can best be handled

The state’s problems in the post-Cold War environment are easy to see in San Bernardino and Orange counties. Bases that were the backbones of communities for decades are no longer needed by the military.

Old and abandoned George Air Force Base in Victorville in San Bernardino County is caught in a tug of war between neighboring local governments. The property remains unused. Now, the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro in Orange County is in danger of a similar fate after it shuts down several years from now.

Orange County has applied to the Pentagon for grants to plan the use of the base, but the county’s claim to control is being challenged by several cities. In contrast, the Marine Corps Air Station at Tustin exemplifies the value of sound planning and cooperation. The closing of the Orange County Marine facility was announced two years ago and is to take effect in 1997. The City of Tustin and the Pentagon are working together on a plan to convert the 1,600-acre helicopter base into a mixed-use community of industries, businesses and homes.

But that’s not all. The city, the military and groups assisting the homeless are also looking at the possibility of using some of the base’s 2,500 housing units to shelter the homeless. A little-known federal law requires that the homeless be considered when a base closes (there are requests to use housing units at George for that purpose).

Military bases are big enough to contain both housing for the homeless and businesses. One fills a social need; the other provides revenue for localities hard-hit by the loss of base-related jobs. The Clinton Administration has promised to speed the closing of bases so they can be converted to new uses sooner. Indeed, what it should do is deed California’s closed and closing bases over to the state. But, until that happens, communities that have gone through the process stress the need to work problems out quickly and present a unified front to the Pentagon.

The last thing needed is land that sits idle while governments battle for control. City and county governments near El Toro should be guided by Tustin’s example, not by George Air Force Base.