SWEF Facility Planes

Re “Low-Flying Navy Planes,” Ventura County letters, Sept. 19.

Robert Launius demonstrates his unfamiliarity with the local military and the Surface Warfare Engineering Facility (SWEF) issue, and he is wrong to associate Steve Beal with the SWEF proposal.

The Navy’s low-flying test program belonged to the Naval Surface Warfare Center. That is part of the Naval Sea Systems Command and is located aboard the Navy’s Port Hueneme base. However, retired Capt. Steve Beal is the former commanding officer of the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu, currently part of the Naval Air Systems Command.

Capt. Beal was in no way responsible for the program and had no involvement as the program was not in his organization. Additionally, the program was announced roughly a year before Capt. Beal arrived to take command of the other base.

Further, to demonstrate the kind of caring, involved leader he is, he met with the Beacon group to discuss their concerns on the SWEF issue. Beacon was kind enough to host a lunch at a member’s home on the beachfront. Capt. Beal’s interest was in being a good neighbor and developing an open dialogue. He wanted to understand the quality-of-life issues of the concerned residents. Beal attempted to informally intercede with other Navy commands regarding the local residents’ concerns. I was quite impressed that he took the time to do this even though it was not a matter under his charge.

What I know of Steve Beal is that he is an intelligent, compassionate and principled individual who approached problems systematically and with savvy and a touch of humor. He basically ran the “town of Point Mugu” and its $53-million budget, acting simultaneously as the mayor, city administrator and local judge. He would be a most capable county administrator.

ALAN ALPERS

Oxnard