San Diego County's Airport Authority voted today to study moving military operations at Miramar somewhere else, to make room for a commercial airport. The board has a summer deadline to come up with a new airport site for voters to decide on in November. KPBS reporter Beth Ford Roth has more.
The motion passed 6-to-3. It directs Board staff to come up with ideas on how military operations on Miramar could be moved so a commercial airport could be built there.
Board member Mary Sessom voted against the motion. She says the military has made it clear that it's vital to national security to keep base operations exactly where they are.
Sessom: If we think we got opposition now, just to joint use, we put something like this and start asking the Marines to move out, when we just finished BRAC, what a huge white elephant.
The board is still considering joint-use proposals that would require the military to share either Miramar, Camp Pendleton, or North Island with commercial air traffic. Beth Ford Roth, KPBS News.
