LAKEWOOD : New Law Firm Hired in Navy Hospital Fight

The City Council has hired a new law firm to help fight Long Beach’s plan to turn the vacant Navy hospital into a shopping center.

Morrison & Foerster will replace Nossaman, Gunther, Knox & Elliot, which resigned in August, citing a conflict of interest with one of its business clients.

The Nossaman firm has not identified the client or the potential conflict. “We think they’re obligated to tell us, but they haven’t,” Lakewood spokesman Don Waldie said. Attorney William Gunther, a partner in the firm, could not be reached for comment.

Morrison & Foerster was selected because it has considerable experience in dealing with potential uses for military bases that are either closed or facing closure, Waldie said.

The firm helped the city of Adelanto block a proposal for George Air Force Base and is advising Orange County on a plan to convert the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into a commercial airport.

Lakewood, Hawaiian Gardens and several other nearby cities oppose Long Beach’s plan to tear down the Navy hospital on Carson Street and build a 1-million-square-foot “power center.” These centers typically consist of high-volume retailers such as Costco, Price Club, Home Depot, Toys R Us, Office Depot and Staples.

Long Beach would reap all the benefits of a shopping center while neighboring cities would suffer from clogged streets, dirtier air and lost jobs, Lakewood officials say. Long Beach Councilman Alan S.Lowenthal said it is “the height of hypocrisy” for Lakewood to try to block a shopping center after luring Long Beach shoppers to the Lakewood Center mall for many years.