STORIES FROM THE PAST

50 years ago

Capt. Simpson Evans Jr., United States Navy, who takes over command of the Naval Air Facility this afternoon predicted Wednesday that the Valley facility would expand “because of the population pressures in Southern California.”

Because the urban sprawl near Los Angeles is affecting the Marine air base at El Toro, the new skipper explained, “El Centro will be called on for more support than in the past.” While he said that he did not intend to indicate that El Toro was to be closed down — and there have been repeated rumors to that effect — some of the planes and fleet support facilities now located there are to be moved to Yuma.

This, he said, would mean that the Valley NAF would be responsible for many of the gunnery and other training and support efforts now based at Yuma.

Capt. Evans, who took over command from Capt. Henry M. Kosciusko in ceremonies at the base at 2 p.m. today, is considered one of the Navy’s top efficiency experts. His last command was of the Fleet Work Study Group, Pacific, composed of 18 officers and 95 CPOs, or, as the captain puts it, “no Indians.”

The organization, Capt. Evans explains, was aimed at “finding better ways to use men, money and material, the application of American industrial techniques to the Navy. “You could say that we were efficiency experts.”

40 years ago

Six of seven El Centro police officers who make up the morning shift have called in sick this morning in protest over salary negotiations with the city.

According to Acting Police Chief Ralph Cordova, each of the three patrolmen and three of four detectives assigned to duty called in sick. They failed to report to work for the shift beginning at 7 a.m.

And attorney Samuel Wells, representing the El Centro Police Officers Association in salary negotiations, confirmed this morning the officers are taking job action against the city.

“They are just sick and tired of the position the city is taking in labor negotiations,” Wells said this morning from his Los Angeles office. “They have been bending over backward to tempt the city into offering something reasonable.”

Wells is acting as spokesman for the officers that called in sick.

Meanwhile, Cordova said this morning the city is receiving adequate protection from the department despite the absences.

“There is nothing to panic about,” he said.

The three patrolmen’s spots are being filled by a dispatcher reserve, a sergeant, Cordova himself and two regular patrolmen that are being held over from the previous shift. The first three are non-association members.

30 years ago

CALEXICO — First Interstate Bank has applied to participate in the Community Redevelopment Agency’s storefront rebate program raising questions in the minds of some officials about whether public funds should be used to help affluent businesses upgrade their property.

Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Oscar Rodriguez said the First Interstate Bank at 250 E. Fourth St. is considering spending about $300,000 to add on to the existing building, spruce up the exterior and pave a nearby dirt parking lot.

The agency’s design review committee was expected to examine First Interstate’s application this morning. The five-member committee will forward its recommendation to the Redevelopment Agency board, which will make a final decision on whether to approve the application Oct. 10.

Mayor Victor Legaspi said the fact that First Interstate is applying for a storefront rebate means the program that was designed to upgrade blighted or rundown areas within the boundaries of the redevelopment area is getting out of hand.

“They’ve been stretching the word blighted to the point where it’s ridiculous,” Legaspi said.”It’s not fair ... for the people of Calexico,” he said, adding that the agency programs are funded with property tax dollars.

The storefront rebate program is intended to revitalize the downtown area by providing cash rebates to businesses that could not otherwise afford to upgrade their storefronts. But Rodriguez said there is nothing in the agency’s guidelines to prohibit First Interstate or any other affluent businesses from taking advantage of the program, which uses public funds to provide up to $25,000 in rebates on renovation projects.

“I don’t know whether we can technically exclude them or not,” Rodriguez said, adding that he was planning to seek the advice of David McEwen, the agency’s legal counsel, regarding First Interstate’s application.