Deal Allows New Air Force Housing

A lease agreement with the federal government that will allow construction of 250 units of affordable housing for personnel stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base was signed Saturday by Gov. Pete Wilson.

The agreement was important in determining if the Air Force would move the base’s operations and numerous aerospace jobs out of state, the governor’s office said.

The base near Los Angeles International Airport is used by the Air Force Space Systems Division, which buys satellites and rocket boosters and plans and manages space-related systems and support equipment.

It also has offices for Aerospace Corp., a federally funded, nonprofit research and development center.

The housing site involves about 20 acres at Angels Gate Park in San Pedro. The property is owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Negotiations involving the school district, city and county officials and the Air Force were completed last month.

Wilson said the lease was crucial to keep the El Segundo military base off the 1995 base closure list. Earlier, officials had considered moving the base’s operations to New Mexico.

“The cost of housing in L.A. has made it difficult for the Air Force to retain its highly skilled military personnel near the base,” Wilson said in a statement. “But with this lease, we’re giving the Air Force the land it needs to build affordable housing for base personnel.”