Plan to fire artillery on California highway during visit to JD Vance base irritates governor

A plan to fire live artillery shells over a major Southern California highway as part of a military display attended Saturday by Vice President JD Vance drew strong objections from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said safety concerns forced him to close a portion of the busy interstate.

“The president is putting his ego before responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “Firing live bullets on a busy road is not only wrong: it’s dangerous.”

But U.S. Navy officials said there was nothing dangerous about the exercise at Camp Pendleton, where firing artillery is a routine occurrence, and that it was unnecessary to disrupt traffic on Interstate 5, which is the main highway along the Pacific coast between San Diego and Los Angeles.

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, who represents a district east of the base, called it “a spiteful publicity stunt” by Newsom.

Vance, a Republican, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the base in northern San Diego County to celebrate the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary and watched troops perform an amphibious vehicle show and Marines demonstrate a beach assault. Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, and his wife, Usha, watched as planes streaked across the sky and plumes of smoke rose from munitions attacks.

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The state had considered closing the highway earlier in the week, but the U.S. Marines said Thursday that the event would take place at approved training grounds and adhere to established safety protocols.

State transportation officials ultimately made the decision to close the freeway after Friday night’s practice shootouts and a request from event organizers for signs to be posted along the highway reading “Aerial Fire in Progress.”

The California Highway Patrol closed a 17-mile (27-kilometer) stretch of highway for periods before and during Saturday’s exercise. Severe traffic delays were reported Saturday morning and early afternoon. No mishaps related to artillery fire were reported.

“This is all due to the military event led by the White House, that for the safety of the public, we need to close the freeway as they are sending live ordinances over the freeway,” California Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Rocco said.

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U.S. Marine Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis said in a statement that there is artillery fire at the base almost every week and that the exercises did not endanger motorists.

“Weeks of planning and deliberate rehearsals ensured success in every phase of execution,” he said.

In a statement to the New York Times, a spokesman for Vance, William Martin, said Newsom misled the public about the security risk.

“If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose training exercises that ensure our Armed Forces are the deadliest and most lethal fighting force in the world, then he can go ahead,” Martin said.

Rocco said the I-5 closure could cost up to another two hours of travel time for those traveling between San Diego and Los Angeles. The highway carries 80,000 travelers and $94 million in freight through the corridor daily, according to the governor’s office. Passenger rail services that run parallel to I-5 have also been canceled in the afternoon.