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One point I did not mention in the last Broadway post – the Navy is suing the state for permanent ownership of land in the Point Loma area, commonly known as the “Navy Sub Base,” near the western end of Rosecrans Avenue. (This issue is addressed in detail in the commentary that appeared in August in the Union-Tribune.)
They are doing this despite being issued a 50-year lease a few years ago. Instead, they seek to retain the right to enter into a private development agreement at some point – just as they are doing now at the Broadway site.
I see this loss of state control of public coastal lands as part of what President Dwight D. Eisenhower termed the “military-industrial-congressional complex.”
Eisenhower was the consummate soldier – he knew better than most what it takes to run an effective, combat-ready military. Yet in this speech in 1961, in the midst of the Cold War, he cautioned us:
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Eisenhower’s words are even more important in this age of the “war on terror.”
Californians have been generous about sharing land with the military, as is obvious with Camp Pendleton, Miramar Air Base, etc. However, we also maintain a historic right to access waterfront properties once the military use is no longer needed.
I oppose the recent actions of federal agencies to permanently take away state and local control over coastal land, and call on San Diegans to be more “alert and knowledgeable” about these land use issues.