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Officials May Fire Commission Pilots Who Rejected Wal-Mart Project

Elected officials here are ignoring warnings about a public safety threat from a Wal-Mart Supercenter project and instead have initiated a plan to oust military pilots sitting on a county airport commission which voted in November to oppose the project because of those same safety concerns.

A news conference will be held TUESDAY, 10 a.m. at the Solano County Board of Supervisors Meeting (675 Texas Street), regarding not-too-secret plans to "decapitate" the Solano County Airport Land Use Commission (SCALUC) leadership for political reasons.

The Solano County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a proposed ordinance amendment to allow firings of SCALUC members without just cause, undermining the regulatory powers and independence of the commission.

The 230,000 square foot Wal-Mart project in Suisun was scheduled for a public hearing Tuesday, but the Suisun City Council abruptly postponed it when they learned thousands of Travis Air Force Base retirees and residents had been alerted to the hearing.

The Suisun City Council said it will override the 5-2 vote of the SCALUC, and the mayor has said they will replace SCALUC chairman John Foster, a decorated military pilot. Region mayors have already announced they will listen to arguments to oust Foster next month.

The SCALUC which includes a number of retired or current pilots and veterans are being supported by CalTRANS, which wrote that it agreed with the conclusions by the commission about the safety factor of the project.

And, a national pipeline safety organization wrote Travis AFB, congressional leaders, Suisun City Council and federal agencies, stating it was "troubling" that a dangerous jet fuel pipeline running near the Wal-Mart has not been addressed in project planning.

Military retirees also fear the encroachment by the city on the base could force Travis, the biggest area-employer, to close, affecting services to 65,000 retirees in Solano County.