Rohrabacher Stirs Uproar in Desert : Development: Local officials say the Orange County congressman’s intervention has jeopardized plans for an airport on the site of closed George Air Force Base. He says he is only protecting his area’s interests.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) has sparked an uproar in the Mojave Desert, where angry local officials charge that he has jeopardized their plans for a new airport in order to protect the interests of high-powered Orange County developers.

The dispute is over George Air Force Base near Victorville, where 5,600 acres of valuable commercial property was suddenly put up for grabs last December when the base was closed in a Pentagon cost-cutting move.

The resulting power struggle stretches from the halls of Washington to the truck-stop towns of the desert. It involves wealthy Republican contributors, top leaders in Congress and small-town officials.

As Victorville Councilman Terry E. Caldwell charged recently: “This process is dominated by secret agreements with greedy developers and side deals with congressmen who don’t even represent this area. Obviously, there’s a tremendous amount of money to be made.”

Shortly after the base closed, San Bernardino County and three cities near the base joined forces as the Victor Valley Economic Development Authority in hopes of building a commercial airport, a junior college, a park, temporary housing and several other projects on the military base property.

But Rohrabacher’s extraordinary move last March sought action from the Pentagon to block the development authority’s plan in favor of another desert city proposal for a much larger international airport that involves two Orange County developers.

The congressman who represents the area--Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands)--was so outraged at the intervention from a fellow Republican that he immediately called Rohrabacher at home to chastise him and he ordered a special meeting of the House GOP leadership.

“I cannot remember in all my time in public affairs having been as angry,” said Lewis, who helped prepare the Victor Valley development authority plan. “It’s just plain wrong. I mean, can you imagine me telling Orange County congressmen what to do about El Toro (Marine Corps Air Station)? It’s unfathomable.”

Rohrabacher strongly defended his action, saying that Orange County has an important interest in the future of the George base.

He said another airport might relieve traffic at John Wayne Airport. And he said that transportation officials are exploring the possibility of a high-speed train between Anaheim and Las Vegas that could pass near the site.

“I was merely protecting Orange County’s interests,” Rohrabacher said.

The larger airport proposed by the tiny desert city of Adelanto might help relieve John Wayne Airport, but the smaller facility favored by Victor Valley residents would not be of much use to Orange County airline passengers.

Rohrabacher admits that his action was prompted, in part, by a request from Newport Beach developer William (Buck) Johns, a prominent Republican contributor who bought property near the desert base three years ago in anticipation of its conversion. Federal campaign donation lists show that Rohrabacher received $1,000 from Johns last year.

Rohrabacher said his help was also sought by officials in Adelanto, population 12,000. Adelanto’s plan includes an agreement for Orange County’s Koll Co. to develop part of the base property, but Rohrabacher said he does not recall any request for assistance from Koll.

Based on the contacts from Johns and Adelanto officials, Rohrabacher intervened by persuading Rep. Dick Armey (R-Tex.)--the No. 3 GOP leader in the House--to support Adelanto’s development plan. Armey subsequently wrote a letter to the Air Force asking for a delay in the transfer of property to the Victor Valley development authority.

The upshot was that the Pentagon turned down Armey’s request. But it also ruled that some of the base property would be donated, not sold. And it did not designate either Adelanto or the Victor Valley development authority as operator of the base.

Instead, it ordered the two competing parties to submit new bids for acquiring the land. And it suggested that state and local governments should work out the remaining problems. Gov. Pete Wilson’s office is urging the parties to work out a joint operating agreement.

Rohrabacher’s action on the George base raised eyebrows among political insiders partly because it violated congressional protocol about handling issues in another House member’s district.

Some were surprised that Rohrabacher would take up the George base issue, since there are other Orange County representatives who would be expected to have a greater interest than Rohrabacher in the high-speed train and the John Wayne Airport, neither of which involve Rohrabacher’s district.

Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) represents the John Wayne Airport area and surrounding communities. But because of “congressional courtesy,” Cox said he would not have intervened in the future plans for the George base without consulting Lewis and others. “I would try to consult a colleague, because I’d want the same treatment,” Cox said.

Because of the sensitivity of the George base issue, Cox went so far as to write letters to city officials in Adelanto and Victorville emphasizing that he was not involved in the issue, but asked to be kept informed.

Cox declined, however, to criticize Rohrabacher’s action.

In the last few years, Orange County officials have explored the possibility that a commercial airport at George Air Force Base might help problems at John Wayne Airport, where noise rules and a court settlement limit future expansion. The idea was that the high-speed train could shuttle Orange County passengers to the desert site.

But officials say financial problems have stalled plans for building the train, estimated to cost at least $4 billion. And county officials say they have abandoned the idea of the George base as an alternative to John Wayne. Since the El Toro base was targeted for closure by the Pentagon, there has been discussion about turning it into a commercial airport.

Rohrabacher acknowledged “that since El Toro has been placed on the base closure list, it might make George moot” as a regional airport for Orange County. “But those of us who are interested in airport capacity in Southern California want to keep all options open.”

Rohrabacher also insisted that a high-speed rail link is still possible.

Times staff writers Paul Houston and Robert W. Stewart in Washington contributed to this story.