San Gabriel Valley : Boxer Pledges Aid on Ex-Navy Facility

Amid the huge empty buildings of the former General Dynamics missile plant in Pomona, where thousands once toiled, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) pledged Monday to help the city acquire the idle site from the U.S. Navy and develop it to create jobs through new industries.

“The opportunities here for jobs and economic growth are endless. This is such a fabulous property for development,” said Boxer, who toured the plant with city leaders.

Mayor Edward Cortez said the city wants to buy two-thirds of the site--valued at $10 million to $15 million--from the federal government and convert it to an economic development center that would house high-tech and light industrial manufacturers. The city is requesting that the remaining third be transferred to public agencies for recreation, a school expansion, a water treatment plant and a recycling center, he said.

Boxer said she will lobby the General Services Administration to approve the plant purchase.