Plan to fire artillery over a California highway during JD Vance base visit irks governor

A plan to fire live artillery shells over a major Southern California highway as part of a military showcase attended by Vice President JD Vance has drawn strong objections from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said safety concerns forced him to close a 17-mile (27 kilometers) portion of the interstate.

“The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous.”

Vance and U.S. Marine officials at Camp Pendleton have said there is nothing unsafe about the artillery exercise and no need to disrupt traffic on Interstate 5, which is the main highway along the Pacific coast between San Diego and Los Angeles.

The Republican vice president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are visiting Camp Pendleton in North San Diego County to celebrate the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary, and troops will put on a show of amphibious vehicles and aircraft with a beach landing demonstration.

The state had considered closing the freeway earlier in the week, but the U.S. Marines said Thursday that the event would occur on approved training ranges and comport with established safety protocols.

State transportation officials ultimately made the decision to close the freeway after practice firings over the freeway Friday evening and a request from event organizers for signage along the road stating “Overhead fire in progress.”

California Highway Patrol said a stretch of the highway would be closed Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time, although travelers should expect delays before, during and after the event.

“This is all because of the White House-directed military event, that for the safety of the public, we need to shut down the freeway since they’re sending live ordinances over the freeway,” California Department of Transportation spokesperson Matt Rocco said.

The Associated Press has reached out to Vance’s office and the U.S. Marines for comment.

In a statement to The New York Times, a spokesperson for Vance, William Martin, said Newsom is misleading the public about the safety risk. He said it was routine training.

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

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