Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) (Moreno Valley, Victorville: squatters, new home, layoffs) - The Inland Empire - City-Data Forum

Mojave82 · 03-12-2012, 04:57 AM

So, whats going on at the former base. All I see are giant, empty hangars and warehouses. Plenty of local news reports of squaters and vandals on the property. Most seem to be homeless ex convicts released from the prison across the street.

I cant believe that this didnt take off. I know they wasted 10 years on lawsuits between Adelanto and Victorville and missed the golden years when the facilities were still usable. The weather has taken its toll and they are tearing down everything. Now, no one wants to invest good money after bad.

Victorville Aerospace went belly up and was bought by Pacific Aerospace for pennies on the dollar. The Texas bankruptcy court practically gave it away at $3.5M. This was lock, stock and barrel with all equipment and contracts in place. Now it looks like they are on the ropes. Lack of skilled labor and companies willing to take a chance on this area are the biggest challenges. This was the last news we heard, now seems to be another failure in the works, lack of news and advertising is telling.

Its been 20 years since the base closed and all I see is a empty shell of what could have been a gold mine for this community. So what happened?

frozensurfer · 03-12-2012, 11:16 AM

I would LOVE to get access at night for photography

Nayabone · 03-12-2012, 02:41 PM

I assume you are speaking only of the housing area of the base, because the base it'self is growing. Several big companies have moved in recently and more on the way. There are several high profile projects in the works as of now. Perhaps when they use up all of the rest of the base, they will tear down the homes.
In the mean time, The homes you speak of are used for war game practice and many other military practice missions.
The City of VV would love to make them go away, but they have no authority over the Government, so they continue to sit there and deteriorate.
You probably remember VV made the developer tear down a whole development of brand new homes a couple of years ago because they couldn't sell them. Telling a bank what to do is far easier than telling the Feds what to do.
It is strange driving through that old housing tract, seeing trees growing up through the roofs, and sand bag bunkers piled up in front of some homes, where the military play their games.
The park, the church, the golf course, all which were build when it was a base, are still open and operating, or were last time I drove through last year..
I always thought it was a shame they couldn't have fixed them up for people who need shelter.
I doubt any ex prisoners are living in the homes as the military keep a close eye on them. Last time I drove through was on a Sunday and the place was teeming with military exercises. Living there would be hazardest to ones health...

Mojave82 · 03-13-2012, 05:10 AM

Nayabone, please lits the companies that have arrived, cause I dont see it. Squaters are all over the base and in the Mojave river area. Housing is used by the folks at 29 palms andhave to be cleared before use. They are looking for another area to train since SCLA is so insecure. The hospital is still one of the main areas for the squaters& illegals.

3dogdareyou · 03-14-2012, 10:20 AM

Mojave – I’m not sure where you are getting your information but its very inaccurate. I work for an aviation company there and I can personally attest any building that is safe to occupy is being used at the airport. NO hangars are empty at SCLA. Companies use hangars in all different ways so its possible they may be empty when you drive through but I guarantee a company is still using that facility and still paying for it. Many companies are thriving here, even it you can’t see that from Air Expressway. The aviation portion of the airport is stronger than ever and demand is continuing to grow. We want to expand our area but will have to build to do so because there aren’t any available buildings for us.

There aren’t illegals or homeless living in any empty buildings. Those buildings that are unsafe are patrolled regularly everyday, we have one right next to one of our outlining buildings. None of those unsafe buildings have electricity or running water so it would be very difficult for a squatter to live there. Its not like squatting in a house where they can use the next door neighbor’s hose. Your comment about squatters at the Mojave river is simply not true. The river is well over a quarter mile away from ANY buildings at the airport, and it is all rugged topography. If they are squatting near the river, they are squatting on dirt. No public roads access that area from the airport, you would have use National Trails Hwy, which is over a mile away from SCLA. I know closer to the Old Town area near the Apple Valley/ Victorville border they have this issue but not at the airport.

As for the companies that have come out to the airport, have you heard of Boeing? General Electric? Pratt-Whitney? Leading Edge? Dr. Pepper? Rubbermaid? M&M Candies? They all are located at SCLA along with many other companies. I just saw on ABC news a couple months ago that a new furniture company is moving to SCLA and will have a lot of jobs available. Start reading a newspaper because you will see some exciting stuff is going on at SCLA.

Fontucky · 03-14-2012, 11:41 AM

I don't see what Mojave is seeing either. An old friend of mine recently retired from the city of VV as the asst general manager at SCLA. He laughed at the description posted by Mojave. I quote: "What's that guy smoking?"

Bunjee · 03-14-2012, 02:57 PM

Seems like it's pretty successful. Moreno Valley is also fielding a World Logistics Center--supposedly an advanced "Green", environmentally friendly facility--with the big obstacle being it's planned next to a wildlife refuge. There will be environmentalist challenges and I'm sensitive to their concerns, but I welcome the new development. Along with the SCLA, it'll cohere a future looking identity in Logistics for the Inland Empire. The IE severely needs an economic identity.

Mojave82 · 08-04-2012, 08:00 AM

Well Folks, SCLA is now more than $100 million in the red! It's made the news and has gone national. Victorville is on the verge of Bankruptcy and because of the debt at SCLA, the Feds may end up taking control of the Airport.

I'm with a Defense Contractor at SCLA and we just received our Layoff warning. Basically within 180 days, our jobs may not exist or be relocated. Much of this has to do with the pending Defense cuts but allot of the local uncertainty is caused by the City of Victorville and the Airport Management authority. I've been thru layoffs before, but this one seems a little bit more permanent. Business has slowed and allot of our equipment has slowly been relocated or sold off.

Not sure what you are seeing, but I see a failed City and an Airport so far in the Red, it will be a drain on the City for the next 50 years.

Fontucky · 08-04-2012, 03:23 PM

Should Victorville run SCLA? | victorville, grand, jury - Grand jury - Victorville Daily Press

Fontucky · 08-04-2012, 09:28 PM

I sent that link to my aforementioned friend. Here is his response: "What is forgotten is that when the entire Victor Valley dried up at the close of the AF base, it was Victorville City that stepped up to the plate and did everything it could to save the entire region from collapse. Now that they are down, everyone is kicking them. Being in the middle of all the development, I don't think they will truely find criminal wrong doing. As far as the "hand shake deals" go. Every deal the City Manager made with a business to come to SCLA, it was followed up by approval by the city council."