Gold Base
Encyclopedia
The Gold Base is the international headquarters of the Church of Scientology
on a 700 acres (2.8 km²) parcel
of land in unincorporated
Riverside County
, California
, outside of San Jacinto
, and north of Hemet
.
It is at or near 19625 Gilman Springs Road, Gilman Hot Springs, California
, 92583. The area is the home of Golden Era Productions
, the media and publications division of the church, which is the largest of the many organizational units there. David Miscavige
and other top leaders of the church live and work on the Base.
, all of which are staffed by Sea Organization members. Among the organizations there are the Religious Technology Center
, the Commodore's Messenger Organization
International and Golden Era Productions
. Golden Era Productions manufactures the E-Meter
and produces and distributes all church audio-visual materials, both internal and promotional. The two-lane Gilman Springs Road bisects the Gold Base. The on-site film studio, with conical turrets and a sky blue tiled roof, was designed in the likeness of a castle in Scotland. All of the other buildings share the same motif.
The Gold Base is also referred to as the "Int Base", sometimes as the Hemet
base. About 800 Sea Org
members live on the base.
In an article published in the LA Weekly
, Gale Holland wrote that there are critics of the Church of Scientology who say that Gold Base "houses the church's highly secretive security apparatus". The fences feature inward-facing spikes, in addition to motion sensors every several feet and mounted video surveillance cameras.. It has also claimed that the base serves as a place of detention and discipline for wayward Church members. "The Apostate". Members were said to be held against their will. A man named Marty Rathbun is said to have had to escape by ramming a car through the security fence. Id.
Currently, most base personnel live in Hemet at the Vista Gardens Apartments or the Kirby Apartments and commute by base-owned bus. About 500 Scientologists work in the Gold Base, while 100 non-Scientologists also work in the Gold Base.
Gold Base also has recreational facilities, including basketball, volleyball, and soccer facilities, an exercise building, a waterslide, a small lake, two beaches, and a golf course.
picketed Gold Base compound to protest the deaths of a Scientologist, Stacy Moxon Meyer, and a non-Scientologist, Ashlee Shaner.
Meyer, the daughter of lead Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon
, died in an underground electrical vault at the Gold Base at about the same time that picketers above ground were protesting the previous death of Ashlee Shaner. Shaner died in an auto accident on the road fronting Gold Base when a contractor working for the Church was moving a piece of construction equipment
across the highway after dusk without adequate lighting.
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
on a 700 acres (2.8 km²) parcel
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
of land in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, outside of San Jacinto
San Jacinto, California
San Jacinto is a city in Riverside County, California, U.S.A. It was named after Saint Hyacinth and is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south. The mountains associated with the valley are the San Jacinto Mountains. The population was 44,199 at the 2010...
, and north of Hemet
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 78,657 at the 2010 census....
.
It is at or near 19625 Gilman Springs Road, Gilman Hot Springs, California
Gilman Hot Springs, California
Gilman Hot Springs is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Gilman Hot Springs is located on California State Route 79 north-northwest of San Jacinto. Gilman Hot Springs has a post office which opened in 1938; its ZIP code is 92583, which it shares with San...
, 92583. The area is the home of Golden Era Productions
Golden Era Productions
Golden Era Productions is an organization operated by the Church of Scientology that produces promotional material for the Church's membership, as well as many of the restored lectures, E-meters, training films and other materials related to the works of church founder L...
, the media and publications division of the church, which is the largest of the many organizational units there. David Miscavige
David Miscavige
David Miscavige is the leader of the Church of Scientology and affiliated organizations. His title is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center , a corporation that controls the trademarked names and symbols of Dianetics and Scientology. Miscavige was an assistant to Hubbard while a...
and other top leaders of the church live and work on the Base.
History
The Church of Scientology bought a former resort, which had been popular with Hollywood figures, in 1978. For several decades, the location was not disclosed to many members of the church, even church insiders. Until the mid-1990s the location of the base and the presence of international management there were kept secret, even to Scientologists at lower organizations.Facilities
The 700 acre (2.83 km²) compound, surrounded by hills, is home to all of the highest level management units of the Church of ScientologyChurch of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
, all of which are staffed by Sea Organization members. Among the organizations there are the Religious Technology Center
Religious Technology Center
The Religious Technology Center is a Californian non-profit corporation. RTC was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology in order to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of Scientology founder and...
, the Commodore's Messenger Organization
Commodore's Messenger Organization
The Commodore's Messenger Organization is a unit in the Church of Scientology organization that communicates and enforces policies of the Religious Technology Center....
International and Golden Era Productions
Golden Era Productions
Golden Era Productions is an organization operated by the Church of Scientology that produces promotional material for the Church's membership, as well as many of the restored lectures, E-meters, training films and other materials related to the works of church founder L...
. Golden Era Productions manufactures the E-Meter
E-meter
An E-meter is an electronic device used during Dianetics and Scientology auditing. The device is a variation of a Wheatstone bridge, which measures electrical resistance and skin conductance. It is formally known as the Hubbard Electrometer, for the Church's founder, L. Ron Hubbard...
and produces and distributes all church audio-visual materials, both internal and promotional. The two-lane Gilman Springs Road bisects the Gold Base. The on-site film studio, with conical turrets and a sky blue tiled roof, was designed in the likeness of a castle in Scotland. All of the other buildings share the same motif.
The Gold Base is also referred to as the "Int Base", sometimes as the Hemet
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 78,657 at the 2010 census....
base. About 800 Sea Org
Sea Org
The Sea Organization or Sea Org is an association of Scientologists established in 1968 by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology. Its members are found in the central management organizations of the Church of Scientology as well as in individual churches...
members live on the base.
In an article published in the LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, Gale Holland wrote that there are critics of the Church of Scientology who say that Gold Base "houses the church's highly secretive security apparatus". The fences feature inward-facing spikes, in addition to motion sensors every several feet and mounted video surveillance cameras.. It has also claimed that the base serves as a place of detention and discipline for wayward Church members. "The Apostate". Members were said to be held against their will. A man named Marty Rathbun is said to have had to escape by ramming a car through the security fence. Id.
Currently, most base personnel live in Hemet at the Vista Gardens Apartments or the Kirby Apartments and commute by base-owned bus. About 500 Scientologists work in the Gold Base, while 100 non-Scientologists also work in the Gold Base.
Features
Notable buildings and features in Gold Base include:- Upper Villas—RTC offices and housing, where David Miscavige and other high level Scientologists live and work
- BonnieView—L. Ron Hubbard's fully furnished mansion, still maintained and staffed in the belief that he will return in another body.
- Cine Castle—main film studio in the shape of a castle, for producing church A/V materials
- OGH buildings—Old Gilman House. Formerly "isolation" space for physically ill staff. Possibly now used for auditingAuditing (Scientology)Auditing was developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and is described by the Church of Scientology as "spiritual counseling which is the central practice of Dianetics and Scientology".-Description:...
or solo auditing. - Del Sol—CSI offices, and auditing rooms for staff.
- Staff berthing—four buildings where staff live.
- Qual Gold—Headquarters for Qual Sec, in charge of "quality control" as per the Hubbard organization policies. In practice this mostly means facilities staff auditing and training.
- MCI—This large building is the staff dining hall, known as "Massacre Canyon Inn" from the building's pre-Scientology name when the property was a resort.
Gold Base also has recreational facilities, including basketball, volleyball, and soccer facilities, an exercise building, a waterslide, a small lake, two beaches, and a golf course.
Picketing at Gold Base
Keith HensonKeith Henson
Howard Keith Henson is an American electrical engineer and writer on life extension, cryonics, memetics and evolutionary psychology....
picketed Gold Base compound to protest the deaths of a Scientologist, Stacy Moxon Meyer, and a non-Scientologist, Ashlee Shaner.
Meyer, the daughter of lead Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon
Moxon & Kobrin
Moxon & Kobrin is a law firm with its headquarters located in the Wilshire Center Building in Wilshire Center, Los Angeles, California, consisting of Kendrick Moxon, Helena Kobrin, and Ava Paquette....
, died in an underground electrical vault at the Gold Base at about the same time that picketers above ground were protesting the previous death of Ashlee Shaner. Shaner died in an auto accident on the road fronting Gold Base when a contractor working for the Church was moving a piece of construction equipment
Loader (equipment)
A loader is a heavy equipment machine often used in construction, primarily used to load material into or onto another type of machinery .-Heavy equipment front loaders:A loader A loader is a heavy equipment machine often used in construction, primarily used to load material (such as asphalt,...
across the highway after dusk without adequate lighting.