Fullerton Asks Halt to El Toro Auction

In an eleventh-hour attempt to revive the debate over the fate of the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, Fullerton officials have asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to halt the upcoming sale of the land to developers so that the city can operate a commercial airport on the site.

In a letter dated Tuesday and addressed to Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, City Council members said federal and city officials “should consider moving forward together on a joint effort to convert El Toro for the purpose it is most ideally suited.”

Federal officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but a similar proposal last year by Los Angeles was rejected by Mineta.

And the Navy, which owns the base, has held steady to its plan to auction the land to developers Jan. 5. On Wednesday, the Navy rejected a plan by a local developer and an advocacy group to turn old military housing on the base into affordable homes.

The plan was announced Tuesday by Ocmil.com, an organization that advocates for military families, and developer Affordable Housing Resources. Navy officials said the proposal violates federal regulations that require the government to sell the land through a competitive bidding process, thus the auction.

El Toro has been at the center of one of Orange County’s most divisive political battles: whether to turn the military airfield into a commercial airport.

Irvine annexed the base last year to redevelop the 3,700-acre facility as the Great Park, a master-planned community of 3,500 homes, commercial and industrial space and a massive park system.

Most recently, the county Board of Supervisors decertified environmental documents that had been drafted for an airport at El Toro.

Any new proposal would require a new review.

Outgoing Fullerton Mayor Mike Clesceri said he opposed the idea.

Councilman Leland Wilson, who drafted the letter, conceded Wednesday that the plan was a long shot: “We are certainly the underdogs here, but we are not giving up.”