2 Victory Parties to Fete Base Retention

Point Mugu supporters are planning two separate victory parties Wednesday to celebrate the base-closing commission’s decision to knock the Navy base off a list of installations recommended for closure.

Navy officials plan a party from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the base’s soccer field for Point Mugu employees, said Navy spokeswoman Phillis Thrower.

“Basically, it is a victory celebration to thank those people who worked so hard for the base,” Thrower said.

At 5:30 p.m., the BRAC ’95 Task Force will hold a celebration at the Radisson Hotel in Oxnard. The countywide task force, made up of business representatives, civil leaders and defense contractors, raised $290,000 to hire a Washington, D.C., lobbyist and mount a campaign to save local naval installations during the recent fourth round of base closures.

“We haven’t had a chance to get together with the Navy people and all of the people who gave substantially to our effort,” said Carolyn Leavens, co-chairwoman of the task force and president of the Ventura County Economic Development Assn. “It’s a chance to say, ‘Hey, we did it!’ ”

For information, contact the task force at 388-4481 or the Ventura County Economic Development Assn. at 988-1106.