Navy to Move Helicopters to San Diego

Amid vows of litigation and legislation, the Navy announced Monday that it has decided that the Marine helicopters now stationed in Orange County will be transferred to Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego.

The decision was decried by politicians who had tried to persuade the military that the super-loud helicopters should be sent instead to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Bob Filner (D-San Diego) said they will seek to block the transfer by sponsoring an amendment to the next military spending bill that would eliminate funding for the facilities needed for the helicopter squadrons.

“We feel the Pentagon is making a huge mistake,” Boxer said.

Filner accused the military of not taking seriously the concerns of San Diegans, who oppose the helicopters coming to Miramar, and Riverside residents, who would welcome the big craft at March.

“The military is trained to take territory, occupy it and defend it,” said Filner, “and that’s what they’ve done here, without any real dialogue with the community.”

On the other hand, the San Diego Chamber of Commerce hailed the decision and called on the homeowners’ group MARCH (Move Against Relocating Choppers Here) to drop plans to sue.

Funded by Pardee Construction Co., one of the region’s largest home builders, the group has been planning a lawsuit based on the allegation that the military has understated the air pollution that the helicopters would cause and thus has violated federal clean-air laws.

“We hope those considering a frivolous lawsuit in this matter will abstain and let people get to work by Christmas,” said Chamber President Stephen Cushman.

A week ago, a bipartisan group of congressional representatives from San Diego and Riverside counties met with President Clinton’s chief of staff, Leon E. Panetta, to argue in favor of sending the helicopters to March. A day later, the same group met with Pentagon officials to unveil a study commissioned by opponents that concluded that moving to March was cheaper.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Riverside) said he was disappointed in the military’s decision not to send the helicopters to March. “Thousands of concerned citizens flooded the Pentagon and White House with letters of support,” he said.

The military faced a deadline of today to finalize its decision to move 64 Super Stallions and 48 Sea Knights to Miramar or face cancellation of construction contracts already tentatively approved.

The dispute began with the military cutbacks ordered by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

The commission ordered Marine bases at El Toro and Tustin closed, forcing the military to find a new base for its helicopter squadrons. Because the Navy’s F-14 Tomcats and famed Top Gun schools were moving from Miramar, the Pentagon decided that Miramar would be the best spot not only for Marine Corps fixed-wing aircraft but also for its helicopters.

Residents in San Diego fear the noise from the lumbering helicopters. At the same time, political leaders in the Riverside area--a region already hard hit by the closure of Norton and George Air Force bases and the downsizing of March to a reserve base--see the helicopters and the accompanying military payroll as an economic boon.

Still, the military decided that it would cost less and be more efficient for the helicopters to come to Miramar. Duncan Holaday, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for installations and facilities, signed an order calling for the helicopters to be sent to Miramar, which on Oct. 1, 1997, will become a Marine air station. The helicopter transfer is set to be complete by mid-1999.

While Filner and Boxer hope to choke off funding, Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-San Diego) has yet another strategy to overturn the military’s decision. He said he plans to push funding for the V-22 Osprey, a vertical takeoff craft now being developed, to replace the helicopters.