Base Crashpads

Base guide · El Segundo, California

The Los Angeles AFB guide

Gates, the Fort MacArthur Inn, FY2026 per diem, 2026 BAH, South Bay neighborhoods, schools, and how to survive LA traffic on a TDY.

Updated August 2026 · 10 min read

Now at Los Angeles AFBChecking local conditions…

Photo: Los Angeles Air Force Base, at sunrise, is located in El Segundo, Calif., April 10, 2018. U.S. Air Force photo by U.S. Space Force image by Van Ha (Public domain). Source

Base essentials
Major command
U.S. Space Force / Space Systems Command (field command)
Host unit
Space Base Delta 3 (formerly 61st Air Base Group)
Nearest airport
LAX (Los Angeles International) · ~10 min
Time zone
Pacific (PT)
Flightline
None; SSC is an acquisition headquarters, not an airfield
Housing annex
Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, 20 miles south (613 privatized homes)
01

Overview

Los Angeles AFB is the Space Force's acquisition headquarters. Space Systems Command runs the development, purchase, launch, and sustainment of military satellites from here, managing a space acquisition budget of about $15.6 billion and employing roughly 6,400 people at the base and worldwide, with about 1,340 active duty, 1,850 civilians, and 1,700 family members tied to the installation itself. Space Base Delta 3 keeps the campus and the Fort MacArthur annex running. The traffic through the gates is program managers, engineers, contracting officers, Guardians, reservists, and Aerospace Corporation staff cycling through design reviews and source selections, not aircrew.

The base sits in El Segundo, immediately south of LAX and less than a mile west of the I-405, on a compact campus with no flightline. Weather is the easiest thing about this assignment: 50 to 75 degrees most days, about 13 inches of rain a year, and a marine-layer gray that hangs over the coast in late spring. Housing is the hardest. Los Angeles cost of living runs roughly 68 percent above the national average, the only base lodging is 20 miles away in San Pedro, and hotels in the beach cities often price above per diem. Plan your lodging before you plan anything else.

Weather

El Segundo temperatures typically run between 50 and 75 degrees year-round and rarely dip below 44 or top 83, with warmest highs around 77 in September and coolest lows near 48 in January. Rain totals about 13 inches a year, almost all of it between November and March, with February the wettest month.

Best months

September through November, when the marine layer clears and the water is warmest

Tough months

May and June for the persistent morning overcast locals call May Gray and June Gloom; January and February for the rare but heavy atmospheric-river rain that floods the 405 underpasses

02

Getting there

  • Fly into LAX; the base is directly south of the airport, roughly 3 miles and 10 minutes by car via Sepulveda or Aviation Boulevard. Rent a car at the LAX consolidated rental facility, because nothing about a TDY here works without one; Burbank (BUR) and Long Beach (LGB) are options if fares are better, at about 45 and 30 minutes respectively.
  • The Douglas Street gate (main gate) on the west side of the campus is open 24/7. The Aviation Boulevard gate on the east side opens weekdays only, 0600-0800 and 1530-1730, and is closed weekends and holidays. Fort MacArthur's 24th Street and 30th Street gates plus the Pacific Heights and Pacific Crest housing gates are listed as 24/7. Confirm current hours on losangeles.spaceforce.mil before you drive.
  • The Visitor Control Center is Building 260, adjacent to the Douglas Street gate. Bring a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or passport; visitors without a DoD ID need a sponsor with base access and receive a day pass. Published VCC phone numbers vary between sources, so confirm the number on the base website before calling.
  • Traffic is the defining feature of this TDY. The I-405 and I-105 crawl from roughly 0630 to 0930 and 1500 to 1900, and Rosecrans and Sepulveda back up with LAX traffic. Living inside El Segundo or the beach cities means surface streets only. Note that overnight parking on base is no longer permitted, so plan to leave your vehicle at your lodging.
03

TDY lodging

On base

The Fort MacArthur Inn

Phone
310-653-8296
Check-in / out
1100 / —
Pets
Pet-friendly units
  • The Fort MacArthur Inn (Air Force Inns), 2400 S.
  • Pacific Ave., Bldg. 37, San Pedro, CA 90731, is the base's only lodging and sits about 20 miles south of the El Segundo campus.
  • Front desk hours are 0600-2200 daily with 1500 check-in and 1100 check-out; call 310-653-8296 or 1-888-AF-LODGE.
  • The inn lists 72 non-smoking rooms and two pet-friendly units, and there is a small shoppette on the annex.
  • Because of the 35 to 60 minute commute to El Segundo, many travelers request a non-availability number and stay commercial closer to the base; ask lodging about that option when you book.

Off-base per diem

  • Confirm the current lodging allowance for your duty location and travel dates with the official rate lookup and your travel office.
  • No current rate is quoted here.
  • Alaska and Hawaii use DoD OCONUS rates.
  • A published ceiling is not proof of reimbursement eligibility.
Total your trip → per diem calculator

The crashpad option

We're expanding at Los Angeles AFB. If you have TDY dates for El Segundo, send them to us and we will let you know as soon as a furnished crashpad opens up inside the $191 Los Angeles rate with DTS-ready receipts.

Los Angeles AFB crashpads
04

Housing & BAH

Housing

  • Family housing is privatized through Tierra Vista Communities and is entirely at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, 20 miles south of the base: 613 two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes across historic Fort MacArthur, Pacific Heights, and Pacific Crest, open to all ranks.
  • Reach the Housing Management Office at 310-653-8460 or 310-653-8471 and Tierra Vista at 310-241-6184 (Bldg. 410, Suite 4).
  • Off base, a one-bedroom in El Segundo averaged roughly $2,200 to $2,500 a month in 2025 depending on the source, while South Bay home prices in late 2025 ran about $1.38 million average in Torrance, $1.52 million in Redondo Beach, and $3.35 million median in Manhattan Beach; San Pedro averaged just under $1 million.
  • Buying on a short tour rarely pencils out here.

BAH 2026

GradeWith dependentsWithout dependents
E-5$3,882$3,048
O-3$4,524$4,074
  • 2026 BAH for the Los Angeles MHA (listed as CA037) is approximately $3,882 with dependents and $3,048 without for an E-5, and $4,524 with dependents and $4,074 without for an O-3, per published 2026 tables, up about 3.6 percent from 2025 and the second-highest of any Air Force base.
  • Confirm on the DTMO BAH calculator.
Every grade → BAH calculator·2026 pay chart
NeighborhoodCommute

El Segundo

Small-town Mayberry vibe wrapped around the base, with a walkable Main Street, the highly rated El Segundo Unified schools, one-bedrooms around $2,200 to $2,500, and a five-minute surface-street commute that skips every freeway.

Commute: ~5 min

Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach

The beach-city lifestyle everyone pictures, with top-tier Manhattan Beach Unified schools, the Strand for morning runs, and eye-watering prices (median home about $3.35 million); best for renters who prioritize the ocean over square footage.

Commute: ~10 min

Redondo Beach and Torrance

The practical South Bay choice for families: more house per dollar, solid Redondo and Torrance schools, big-box shopping along Hawthorne Boulevard, and a 15 to 20 minute run up Aviation or the 405 to the gate.

Commute: ~15-20 min

Hawthorne and Westchester

Closest budget-friendlier options east and north of the base, with newer apartment stock near SpaceX in Hawthorne and quiet mid-century streets in Westchester by Loyola Marymount; check school ratings block by block and expect LAX noise in Westchester.

Commute: ~10-15 min

San Pedro and Palos Verdes

Where Fort MacArthur housing lives: a working harbor town with cliffs, the Korean Bell, and the cheapest homes in the South Bay (under $1 million average), next to the Palos Verdes Peninsula's excellent schools and pricier hilltop homes; the trade is a 35 to 60 minute commute on the 110 and 405.

Commute: ~35-60 min
05

Schools & childcare

  • No on-base schools. Fort MacArthur and Tierra Vista housing in San Pedro zones to the Los Angeles Unified School District: Leland Street Elementary, Dana Middle School, and San Pedro High School.
  • Families near the base often use inter-district transfers or rent in El Segundo Unified, Wiseburn Unified (Hawthorne, home of Da Vinci Schools), Manhattan Beach Unified, or Redondo Beach Unified; all four are among the higher-rated districts in the South Bay. Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified serves families who choose the peninsula near Fort MacArthur.
  • The School Liaison Program has offices at both sites: Bldg. 272, Room C1-209 at Los Angeles AFB (310-653-5428) and Bldg. 410 at Fort MacArthur (310-653-8631). Details are at lafss.com/slp.
  • The Child Development Center is on the El Segundo campus in Bldg. 281 (310-653-6800), and Fort MacArthur runs youth programs out of Bldg. 425 (310-653-8383). Waitlists in this market are long, so request care on MilitaryChildCare.com the day you get orders.
06

Healthcare

  • The 61st Medical Squadron is a clinic in Bldg. 210 at 483 N. Aviation Blvd. offering outpatient primary care, occupational and aerospace medicine, and a pharmacy that accepts electronic civilian prescriptions. Hours are 0800-1600 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 0900-1600 Wednesday, closed weekends and holidays. Appointments: 310-653-CURE (2873) or the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal.
  • There is no emergency room or urgent care on base. For emergencies call 911; the nearest civilian hospitals include Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Providence Little Company of Mary in Torrance, and UCLA Health's facilities, with Providence Little Company of Mary San Pedro serving the Fort MacArthur area.
  • TRICARE West Region, administered by TriWest Healthcare Alliance. TDY travelers on Prime should use the nurse advice line or a network urgent care and notify their PCM rather than wait for the base clinic.
07

On base

Commissary
  • 483 N.
  • Aviation Blvd., Bldg. 251, El Segundo (424-336-2262).
  • Open Sunday through Saturday 0900-1830 and Monday 1100-1700; CLICK2GO curbside available.
Exchange
  • Compact main-campus BX with a 24-hour gas station; AAFES retail services close by 1800, so plan evening errands off base.
  • Fort MacArthur has a small shoppette.
Fitness

Los Angeles AFB Fitness Center, Bldg. 286 (310-653-6771), stays open on family days; Fort MacArthur Fitness Center is Bldg. 425 (310-653-8361) with a pool in Bldg. 400 (310-653-1191).

Dining
  • South Bay Bar & Grill in Bldg. 270 (310-653-2803) is the on-campus lunch stop; the Harbor View Lounge, Bldg. 403, serves Fort MacArthur (310-653-8958).
  • No traditional DFAC, so budget for El Segundo's Main Street and Rosecrans restaurants.
MWR

Outdoor Recreation and ITT run from Fort MacArthur Bldg. 425 (310-653-8225 and 310-653-8226) with a second ITT desk in Bldg. 270 at LA AFB (310-653-1304); Disneyland, Universal, and sports tickets are the big sellers.

Newcomers
  • The Military & Family Readiness Center is Bldg. 272, Room C1-209 at 483 N.
  • Aviation Blvd. (310-653-5290); base operator 310-653-1110.
  • Most FSS offices close on family days and the first Thursday training day each month.
08

Off duty

Manhattan Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach, United States
Manhattan Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach, United States. Photo: Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes pablomerchanm, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Source
IdentificatieTitel(s): Baders op Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach and the Strand

Ten minutes west of the gate is the classic South Bay beach day: volleyball courts by the pier, the paved Strand bike path running 22 miles from Torrance to Pacific Palisades, and sunset from the Manhattan Beach Pier. Rent a bike in Hermosa and ride the whole thing on a Saturday.

Official site ↗

Photo by Rijksmuseum, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · source

c/n 749-2605

Fort MacArthur Museum

Housed in the Battery Osgood-Farley bunkers at 3601 S. Gaffey Street in San Pedro, next door to base housing, the museum preserves the Army coast-artillery post that guarded LA Harbor from 1914 to 1974. Open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 1200-1700; the annual Great Los Angeles Air Raid reenactment is a local institution.

Official site ↗

Photo by Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · source

USS Iowa Battleship, Los Angeles World Cruise Port Terminal at the LA Waterfront / Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, California, USA

Battleship USS Iowa and the LA Waterfront

The USS Iowa (BB-61) is moored at Berth 87 in San Pedro, about 20 miles south of the base, with self-guided deck tours and a military discount. Pair it with the Korean Friendship Bell at Angels Gate Park and fish and chips at the San Pedro Fish Market.

Official site ↗

Photo by Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · source

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and Beach

A free-admission aquarium (donation suggested) on Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, walking distance from Fort MacArthur housing, with tide-pool programs and the summer grunion runs. The protected inner beach is the calm-water option for small kids.

Official site ↗

Palos Verdes Peninsula

Twenty minutes from the base, the peninsula's cliff-top trails at Abalone Cove, the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, and Terranea's coastline are the best whale-watching and hiking within a lunch-hour drive. Gray whales pass December through April.

Official site ↗

Los Angeles proper

You are 25 to 60 minutes (traffic dependent) from Griffith Observatory, the Getty Center, Dodger Stadium, and Santa Monica Pier. Take the Metro K Line from El Segundo station to LAX/Metro Transit Center and onward to the E Line to skip parking downtown.

Official site ↗

Disneyland and Orange County

Anaheim is about 35 miles east; ITT at Bldg. 270 sells discounted park tickets, and a weekday run down the 105 to the 605 to the 5 beats weekend traffic by an hour. Huntington and Newport Beach are the same distance south for a change of coastline.

Official site ↗
09

Insider tips

  1. 01Book lodging first, then flights. The Fort MacArthur Inn has only 72 rooms and is 20 miles from the meeting rooms, so most TDYers go commercial; hotels along Rosecrans and in the beach cities sell out during Space Symposium season and any week Disneyland is busy.
  2. 02The Aviation Boulevard gate is a rush-hour-only gate (weekdays 0600-0800 and 1530-1730). Outside those windows, or on any weekend, use the Douglas Street gate on the west side.
  3. 03Plan your day around the 405. A meeting that ends at 1630 in El Segundo means an hour-plus to San Pedro or the Valley. Stay inside the El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Torrance box and you can avoid freeways entirely.
  4. 04Overnight parking on base is no longer permitted, so do not plan to leave a rental at the office while you fly out.
  5. 05May Gray and June Gloom are real. Expect overcast mornings that burn off by early afternoon from late April into July; pack a light jacket for the marine layer and skip the umbrella unless it is January or February.
  6. 06Use the ITT office for Disneyland, Universal, and sports tickets before you buy online; military rates on parks and the USS Iowa add up fast for a family visit.
  7. 07PCS families: get on the Tierra Vista waitlist and MilitaryChildCare.com the day orders drop. Fort MacArthur homes are the only way to make a South Bay tour affordable for many enlisted families, and the LAUSD-versus-El Segundo school decision should drive your neighborhood pick.
  8. 08The clinic has no ER. Save the Torrance Memorial and Providence Little Company of Mary addresses in your phone and know that TRICARE West is TriWest before you need it.
10

FAQ

Can I stay on base, and what if lodging is full?
The only base lodging is the Fort MacArthur Inn in San Pedro (310-653-8296), 20 miles south of the El Segundo campus. Call them first; if they cannot accommodate you, get a non-availability number and book commercially at the FY2026 Los Angeles rate of $191 lodging plus $86 M&IE, with lodging taxes reimbursed separately.
Which gate do I use and what ID do I need?
Use the Douglas Street main gate, open 24/7, with the Visitor Control Center in Building 260 beside it. You need a REAL ID-compliant license or passport, and visitors without a DoD ID need a sponsor and a day pass. The Aviation Boulevard gate is rush-hour weekdays only.
Is there a hospital on base?
No. The 61st Medical Squadron is an outpatient clinic with weekday hours only (appointments 310-653-CURE). Emergencies go to 911 and civilian hospitals such as Torrance Memorial or Providence Little Company of Mary; TRICARE West is run by TriWest.
Where do families live?
Base families live at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, the 613-home privatized annex managed by Tierra Vista, or rent in El Segundo, Manhattan and Redondo Beach, Torrance, or Hawthorne for the shorter commute and stronger school districts. 2026 BAH for Los Angeles is roughly $3,882 for an E-5 and $4,524 for an O-3 with dependents; confirm on the DTMO calculator.
11

Helpful resources

Official

Things to do

Community & local

List your resource

Run a business, park, church, gym, or service that helps Los Angeles AFB travelers and families? Have a correction? Email basecrashpads@gmail.com with the link and a sentence on why it's useful. We review every submission and list the ones that earn it.

Sources & disclaimer

Photos: U.S. Air Force photo by U.S. Space Force image by Van Ha (Public domain); Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes pablomerchanm, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Full attribution on the photo credits page.

Rates, hours, and policies change — BAH resets every January and per diem every October. Confirm specifics with the official sources above and your orders. This guide is written by Base Crashpads and is not an official Air Force or DoD resource.

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