COMMUNITY COMMENTARY

Heather Somers

The El Toro debate continues day in and day out, but many of our

constituents have indicated that it is still very confusing. As an

elected official, I am often asked: Who are all these various groups we

read about in the paper? What side are they on? What are the impacts of

the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative? What is the impact on our

community if El Toro isn’t built? Could John Wayne Airport really be

significantly expanded? Didn’t we already vote on the airport issue?

Here are some key points that may serve to enlighten people with more

information about the proposed commercial airport at El Toro.

In 1994 and 1996, ballot measures A and S, respectively, were placed

before the voters of Orange County to determine the fate of the

now-closed Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro. On both occasions, voters

supported the plan to build a commercial airport at El Toro.

The County Board of Supervisors were federally designated as the reuse

planning body. In the past few years, based on that legal mandate, the

supervisors have proceeded to plan for a commercial airport. The land is

to be conveyed by the federal government to the county at no cost once

the environmental impact report is completed and the final plan approved.

The county enjoys support from such groups as the Orange County Regional

Airport Authority, Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, the Orange County

Business Council, the Orange County Airport Alliance, and the Airport

Working Group.

The regional airport authority is a joint-powers authority composed of 15

Orange County cities representing nearly two million residents. Both

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach are active members. The other groups

mentioned represent business, labor groups and community activists, as

well as other private citizens.

A contingency of seven South County cities, dubbed the El Toro Reuse

Planning Authority, adamantly opposes the airport at El Toro and vows to

replace it with their Millennium Plan. The Millennium Plan eliminates the

airport and focuses instead on planned commercial and residential

development typical of much of South County.

The El Toro Reuse Planning Authority is the primary opposition group but

is also associated with other antiairport groups such as the committee

for the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative, Taxpayers for

Responsible Planning, Project 99 and No Jets. The city of Irvine is the

most highly visible and active member of the reuse authority. Goals of

all of the above groups include defeating the airport through the Safe

and Healthy Communities Initiative.

If the antiairport groups are successful in influencing voters to approve

the initiative in March, it would require that two-thirds of the voters

in a county general election ratify any county action to approve any new

or expanded jail, hazardous waste landfill or civilian airport.

In effect, it would render any such project virtually impossible to

develop, given the challenges of obtaining a so-called super majority.

In the case of El Toro, it usurps the federally designated responsibility

for public policy-making from duly elected officials and allows one-third

of the electorate to control the outcome of the election, and the

ultimate use of the land.

County Sheriff Mike Carona has also openly criticized the initiative as

hindering his law enforcement strategies for the future, because it would

make locating new jails even more difficult.

A lawsuit was filed by pro-airport Citizens for Jobs and the Economy and

the city of Newport Beach in which the initiative’s constitutionality was

challenged. Although the judge ruled in favor of the initiative, she

expressed serious concerns about it withstanding further legal challenge,

even if it does win in the election process. Moreover, two recent polls

show that there is a great deal of confusion surrounding the initiative.

Voters aren’t clear about what their yes or no vote actually means.

For those of us who view the proposed airport at El Toro as a necessity

given the recent air transportation forecasts done by the Southern

California Assn. of Governments, the initiative is completely averse to

good public policy and responsible land-use planning. Not only must we

meet our own air transportation and cargo demand or lose state and

federal funding for other designated transportation projects, but passing

up this once in a lifetime “gift” of land from the federal government

just doesn’t make sense. The base is 4,700 acres and is surrounded by a

14,000-acre “no-home” buffer zone. Building the airport at that location,

where development has been legally constrained to preclude incompatible

types of uses such as homes or schools, would seem to be fairly

uncomplicated decision.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. Fears about noise and other impacts

have been magnified out of proportion resulting in a heightened emotions

among South County residents. Although no one can totally mollify their

fears, I can say that the impacts of an El Toro Airport are far less

severe than those of an expanded John Wayne Airport. There is no

provision for a “no-home” buffer zone near John Wayne Airport. Several

schools are located within the flight corridor from Orange Hills and

Tustin to Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. All have more than 120

flights a day pass overhead.

The negative impacts of an expanded John Wayne would be exponentially

more severe than an airport the same size situated at the former Marine

base. If you were to place an overlay of the outline of El Toro over an

outline of John Wayne, you would see that by comparison, the noise

impacts of aircraft over John Wayne affect many more people and are more

intrusive they will ever be in the areas surrounding El Toro.

In spite of this reality, if El Toro Airport is not built, the burgeoning

demand, especially with the growth of South County, will one day force

the expansion of John Wayne to accommodate the need.

Expanding John Wayne means disrupting or displacing many well-established

businesses and burdening homeowners who have endured noise for years,

with even more noise or the loss of their homes. To miss the opportunity

to build El Toro to meet this county’s demand would be irresponsible; to

choose to expand John Wayne instead would be outrageous.

HEATHER SOMERS is a Costa Mesa councilwoman and a member of the Orange

County Regional Airport Authority board.