Base closing report

A federal commission Saturday decided to restructure Navy and Marine air facilities on both coasts, voting to close airfields in Florida and California and maintenance depots in California, Florida, and Virginia.

The selections represented a second day of devastating decisions for the San Francisco-Oakland bay area. The panel voted to close the Alameda Naval Aviation Depot only a day after it decided to shut down the three other bay area facilities.

The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission also selected these facilities for closure: Cecil Field Naval Air Station in Florida, the El Toro Marine Corps Aviation Station in California, and the Pensacola, Fla., and Norfolk, Va., naval aviation depots. All votes were unanimous except the Norfolk closure. The commission's list goes to the White House, which will then submit a list to Congress to accept or reject in its entirety.