El Toro, Capacity at John Wayne

I read with great interest the article “John Wayne Airport Nears Legal Limit With 7.3 Million Passengers,” Jan. 15.

The piece clearly would lead most Orange Countians to conclude that, yes, we do need to use that 4,700 acres of prime real estate at El Toro for another airport. Wrong.

The legal limit of 8.4 million passengers is a completely artificial limit placed on John Wayne by a court agreement to settle lawsuits between the wealthy few of Newport Beach and the people of Orange County. This artificial limit expires in the year 2005, allowing the rest of us to use that asset to its full physical capacity--the way it should be.

The reality of the situation is that John Wayne could handle 15 million-plus passengers annually. At the 2.1% rate of increase in passenger demand stated in the article, John Wayne could be operating in the year 2020 with 20% excess capacity still available for growth.

Yes, even in the year 2030, John Wayne would be operating within its physical capacity of 15 million passengers. Along with John Wayne’s increase in legal capacity, Los Angeles International Airport has recently put together a master plan to expand its capacity to 98 million passengers annually. Given that Long Beach and Ontario are operating well below their existing capacity, doesn’t it look as though we just might have this air travel thing under control?

So, let me get this straight. We have an asset that can easily handle our projected air travel needs at John Wayne, and we have excess capacity at other area airports. Now, the federal government comes along and provides 4,700 acres of the most valuable real estate that you will find in the United States--an asset that all of us should benefit greatly from. And you want to use it for another airport? Wouldn’t it be better to first use our existing asset at John Wayne to its full capacity and use the land at El Toro to push us even further ahead economically?

Surely, some combination of high-tech research centers and office usage would provide the right type of economic stimulus for our county to remain a socioeconomic leader in the United States.

So, if you still have this strange attraction to tarmac, runways, cargo, and lots of those funny little signs that tell the pilots how to steer their jet around the airport without bumping into each other, go ahead and push forth with another airport.

If, on the other hand, you want to take the time to realize the value of this property and what it can do for all of us if well used, I encourage you to think about what you would really like to see at El Toro. It’s your land.

DAVID COTTON

Trabuco Canyon

* Representative democracy twice sent a message to the Orange County Board of Supervisors favoring an airport at El Toro. The supervisors listened and voted to continue the planning. Many in Orange County refuse to listen and argue instead with threats of secession, boycotts and lawsuits. That’s their prerogative, and they do have legitimate concerns.

Gov. Pete Wilson and Sen. Dianne Feinstein remind us of the importance of opening, developing and expanding international trade with Pacific Rim countries. An international airport at El Toro would play a vital role in linking Orange County to that energy.

Expanding personal, business and county income streams could help immensely in bankruptcy recovery and paying for the many services the county and state are held responsible for. Yes, we need to be concerned about quality of life. But we also need to be concerned about putting bread on the table and providing hope and opportunity for the young folks coming out of our schools.

VICTOR H. JASHINSKI

Newport Beach

* The 13-member El Toro Citizens Advisory Commission was established by the 1994 Measure A initiative, and its mission is to recommend to the Orange County Board of Supervisors a reuse plan for the closing base.

The commission includes two supervisors’ appointees; five representatives of League of Cities districts; two community group representatives, and one each from the airline industry, aviation interests, business and labor.

Commission Chairman Gary Proctor said he was pleased to hear that Irvine wants a place on the commission but hopes Irvine Councilman Barry Hammond will be open-minded on the airport issue. Oh yeah, right. As if Proctor and his cronies have ever even pretended to be open-minded.

Let’s look at the scorecard of just two of the players on the commission. Proctor, defense attorney, private pilot and chairman of the John Wayne Airport Commission, was asked to resign as chairman of the El Toro Advisory Commission because of a conflict of interest. He wrote a letter urging voters to oppose Measure S (the El Toro repeal measure) and the letter was sent to voters at the expense of the “No on Measure S” campaign.

Commission member George Argyros, developer, Lincoln Club member and former owner of AirCal, along with two other Lincoln Club members, met with Supervisors Roger Stanton and William Steiner in March 1994 to see that they placed the airport measure on the ballot. He spent $2 million to pass the 1994 measure and defeat the Measure S initiative. He was also the only Orange Countian to be on Gov. Wilson’s Military Base Reuse Task Force.

After looking at these and other players on the commission, it’s not a surprise that their recommendation was to approve the environmental impact report and proceed with the airport. It is obvious that the drive for the airport is being supported by millionaire developers and self-interested politicians. The airport proponents have been, and are being, positioned appropriately to proceed with their agenda.

GLENDA MADDOX

Irvine

* South County residents are not well served by their elected officials and self-appointed anti-El Toro airport leaders, except for maybe Irvine Councilman Barry Hammond, who seeks to serve on the El Toro Citizens Advisory Commission.

Many elected officials and anti-airport leaders are bent on becoming local folk heroes and secure their political future by playing to the adamant anti-El Toro airport residents. But they are doing little to nothing to ensure the future El Toro airport is compatible with the surrounding communities.

In the 1970s, Newport Beach and the communities surrounding the Orange County airport were faced with a proposal for an expanded airport for the good of all the citizens of Orange County, including the growing population in the South County communities.

Our elected officials and leaders realized one could not stop the airport from expanding, but needed to work with the airport to make it more compatible with the surrounding communities. The few adamant anti-airport people were not happy, but most of us were pleased with the results of their efforts on our behalf.

Their efforts limited commercial flights to only quiet planes, limited the number of passengers annually and controlled the hours of operation for commercial flights.

Unlike when we moved to Newport Beach 20 years ago, today I can sleep in the morning, talk on the phone without having to wait for a plane to fly over and have a party in the backyard, where the only discernible noise is that coming from our guests. And I live only five minutes from the airport when I need to catch a flight.

I am thankful for efforts of our elected officials and community leaders who worked for the good of all the residents--those surrounding the Orange County airport and those who use the airport.

May the South County residents be so blessed with such leadership now.

JIM DE BOOM

Newport Beach