Commissary at El Toro to Remain Closed

In its strongest language yet, the Defense Department reiterated that it had no plans to reopen the commissary at the closed El Toro Marine base.

But three members of Orange County’s congressional delegation say they won’t give up their protracted battle to reopen the facility, which offered food and other merchandise at discounted prices to active and retired military personnel.

In a Jan. 22 letter, Deputy Undersecretary John M. Molono wrote that after several reviews, “no further action is contemplated to establish a commissary or combined store.”

He sent the letter to Reps. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), Loretta Sanchez (D-Anaheim) and Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), who in November challenged a federal study that said the store wouldn’t be financially viable.

Their letter noted that federal law authorized the defense secretary to operate commissary operations on up to 10 closed bases. Cox said only seven were in operation.

“None of us have yet received a responsive letter,” Cox said Wednesday of their earlier challenges. “Far from putting the matter to rest, this simply further energizes three members of Congress.”

Sanchez, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday she planned to meet with Pentagon officials about reopening the commissary, which has been closed since October 2000.

“The letter had none of the background that went into their decision,” she said. “I believe the men and women who have served our country with incredible service and bravery deserve to have a commissary in Orange County.”

The 2001 Defense Department study estimated that the area’s 23,000 eligible commissary patrons, including retired and active-duty military, would spend an average of $650 year. But a study of buying patterns at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County by the Defense Commissary Agency showed that patrons there, including Orange County residents, spent about $3,000 a year on groceries.

Ken Lee, spokesman for Keep the Commissary Committee, said that if only half of the eligible patrons used the El Toro commissary, it would generate $30 million a year in grocery sales.

Defense Department officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Sanchez said she knew the underlying reason that the Pentagon continued to contend that reopening the El Toro commissary would not be economically feasible.

“It’s straightforward: the Department of Defense believes they are in the business of fighting wars and protecting Americans,” she said. “They are not in the grocery business.”