READERS RESPOND

AT ISSUE: We asked readers how City Council members’ positions on

El Toro will affect their votes come election time. Here’s what a few

readers had to say.

It is too bad your reporter concentrated only on a minute segment of the

Tuesday night meeting of the Airport Working Group. Most of the meeting,

as well as the question-and-answer period, was devoted to an exchange of

information regarding El Toro and the possible expansion of John Wayne

Airport. Only a few questions were asked regarding the council’s stand.

How much better your readers would be informed had she explained the

issues as well as they were explained at the meeting. Perhaps the

reporter covering the next presentation at Balboa Bay Club on Nov. 9 will

inform the public about the issues.

Mayor Gary Monahan deserves a heartfelt thanks for setting up the meeting

and trying to inform the citizens of Costa Mesa. If each Costa Mesa City

Council member was informed about the county’s planning process (which

they should be), and had looked into the terms of the transfer of El

Toro, then they would unanimously be in favor of El Toro as another

commercial airport. To be neutral on the issue is to promote the

expansion of John Wayne and that stand should be unacceptable to any

informed voter next year. El Toro as a commercial airport is the most

economical use of taxpayers’ money and poses the least adversity and

detriment to the least number of people. I would actively support only

candidates that are for the airport at El Toro.

AGNES K. DUBBERLY

Costa Mesa

How my City Council votes on El Toro will definitely affect how I vote

for them. We need to ensure that John Wayne Airport does not expand. And

from what I am hearing, John Wayne will expand. And I don’t care about

any silly little issues the council may be involved with. The biggest

issue they are facing is an expanded John Wayne. Any council member that

does not give the potential expansion of John Wayne and the push for El

Toro their immediate attention will raise the ire of the voters and I

will certainly not vote for them. It is a very big issue to me. And I

want my council to support development of El Toro. I can’t imagine why

any City Council member in Costa Mesa would not support El Toro.

MARK REED

Costa Mesa

I have lived here for 30 years plus. In response to how I would vote on

the El Toro issue or anyone running, I would vote for the person who does

not want El Toro and does not want to expand John Wayne. We can travel a

bit to an airport rather than have planes flying over us.

LOIS RAFFEL

Costa Mesa

City Council candidates’ positions on the El Toro issue will affect my

vote next year in that I will vote only for those candidates who are in

favor of building an airport at El Toro.

I feel that some of the current council members are not acting as leaders

in representing our city’s interests and do not follow the wishes of the

citizens of Costa Mesa.ELEANORE TRIGHER

Costa Mesa

It has come to my attention that without an El Toro airport, John Wayne

Airport will be forced to expand. I wonder why we have not heard more

about this from our very own Costa Mesa City Council. Could it be that

one of our city councilwomen actually works for the city of Irvine. There

seems to be a definite conflict of interest there.

ETHEL ROBSON

Costa Mesa

I will not vote for any council member who favors the airport. Never

during my 33 years in Costa Mesa have I been so incensed at the actions

of a relatively small self-serving group of people trying to force their

will on the rest of the county. Even if another vote comes out 51 to 49

in favor of an airport at El Toro, good neighbors just don’t do that to

their fellow man. We do not need a huge airport of any kind, unless we

are all money zealots.

ART STANLOW

Costa Mesa

I am responding to the “turbulent voters” question. My comment is that it

will very much affect who I vote for. This is a very important issue to

every Costa Mesa resident. And to think that a City Council person would

not be educated enough to know our needs for El Toro airport, would cause

me to seriously question their ability to govern this city properly.ANN

OLSEN

Costa Mesa

I am calling regarding your article regarding the inaction of the Costa

Mesa City Council in respects to protecting their citizens against the

expansion of John Wayne Airport. I am really struck by their comments as

to needing more fact-finding. This is the largest land-use decision the

county faces in the next millennium. I am surprised they haven’t been

paying any attention to it. They could have gotten more facts if they had

attended the meeting. I really question their ability to run a city if

they are not aware of these important issues.

ANN WATT

Santa Ana Heights