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Coast Guard Permanently Moving Air Station From Los Angeles To Ventura County

(USCG Photo)
U.S. Coast Guard permanently moving helicopter air operations from LAX to Naval Base Ventura County

The shutdown of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station in Los Angeles at the end of this month means that the facility is now permanently being moved to Ventura County.

Because of facilities changes at LAX, the Coast Guard is losing its longtime lease. In April, the agency temporarily relocated its search and rescue helicopters to Naval Base Ventura County. After looking at other airports in the Los Angeles area, the agency decided that moving to Ventura County would be the best permanent option.

Two helicopters will be based at what’s being named Coast Guard Forward Operating Base Point Mugu, providing around the clock emergency coverage. It will be a satellite of the Coast Guard’s San Francisco base.

The move is expected to allow better coverage of the Central and South Coasts, while still covering the Los Angeles and Orange County coastlines with helicopters from Ventura, and San Diego counties.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.