Navy Assures Cooperation Over El Toro

Two county supervisors were told at a Washington, D.C., meeting that the Navy will work with Orange County officials to assure that when the El Toro Marine base property is sold, its future use will be consistent with Measure W, passed by voters last week.

The county initiative changed what the 4,700-acre base can be used for, limiting development to a sports complex, museum, university and housing, among other uses. It prohibits the land from being used as a commercial airport.

Navy officials affirmed their commitment this week to sell the land now that Orange County voters have killed the possibility of putting a commercial airport there.

In an effort to quickly deal with the passage of Measure W, Supervisors Todd Spitzer and Jim Silva met Wednesday with H.T. Johnson, assistant secretary of the Navy for installations, and Duncan Holaday, Johnson’s deputy, to discuss the base’s future, Spitzer said Friday. Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) also attended the meeting.

County Wants Out of Base Maintenance

Spitzer said he and Silva told the Navy that the county wants to stop paying for maintenance at the base and subsidizing activities there, which costs about $7 million a year.

The county also wants the Navy to honor five-year leases for existing tenants, including a golf course, horse stables and a recreational-vehicle storage facility.

“The Navy shot a bombshell across our bow” with the announcement last week that it intended to sell the base, Spitzer said. “The county can’t afford to move slowly.”On Tuesday, supervisors will discuss their El Toro options while the Navy will outline its plan for disposing of the land on April 23.

Supervisor Chuck Smith said late Friday that he wants the county to stop spending money on the former Marine base, including planning for a park. He rejected Spitzer’s suggestion that the county and Irvine--which borders the retired military base--embark on a development plan for El Toro.

“We should stop the planning process completely and work with the Navy to sell the base,” Smith said.

“I have too many little kids in Santa Ana that need medical care to waste taxpayer dollars when we could be doing things like free clinics.”

Smith said the base likely will be sold in pieces, depending on how contaminated the land is and what can be built under the restrictions of Measure W.

Smith and Supervisor Tom Wilson asked Navy officials on Friday to give up a chunk of the military land for free by signing a letter on behalf of Cal State Fullerton, for 300 acres for a satellite campus at El Toro. The university has a five-year agreement through the county to build a 90-acre campus there.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Smith said.

Smith and Wilson also want to open up 853 units of former base housing along Irvine Boulevard for affordable housing.

Silva was returning from Washington on Friday and couldn’t be reached for comment on the meeting with Johnson and Holaday.