REBUTTAL FROM THE SOUTH

AT ISSUE: Aliso Viejo resident responds to Councilwoman Heather Somers’

thoughts on the proposed El Toro airport (“Costa Mesa needs facts to

support El Toro,” Dec. 7).

I just read Heather Somers’ write-up on El Toro and my only thoughts are

that there was probably a space limitation and that is why certain points

were left out. Let me begin.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is the designated reuse

planning body because Measure A hijacked that control from the

surrounding communities. Base Closure Act requirements are that affected

communities participate in reuse decisions. Irvine and Lake Forest, the

two cities that border the base, are now left out of any redevelopment

decision even though 10% of the base lies within Irvine’s city limit.

That is like having Anaheim and Mission Viejo coordinate plans to use

Newport Harbor as a shipping port. Somers fails to mention that the vast

number of groups that support the county are primarily funded by Newport

Beach. The contributions of other cities are negligible, as is their deep

support for El Toro.

Another misconception is the implied acceptance of Southern California

Assn. of Governments numbers as demand for Orange County. The association

represents six Southern California counties and projects airport demand

for the whole region. Coincidentally, it also projects population demands

and reports that while the county will have a 13% growth rate over the

next 20 years, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties will

enjoy increases of 45% to 75%. That is where the demand is coming from.

Somers might also state that in previous projections, the association has

been off by 50%.

Somers also does a disservice to the residents of south Orange County by

discounting their fears of noise and pollution. Supervisor Charles Smith

even stated during the flight tests, while outside the “buffer zone,”

that homes would need to be retrofitted with noise protection measures.

Somers continues by attempting to scare John Wayne-affected residents

with the figure of 120 flights per day (between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.),

while ignoring that the plans for El Toro involve 824 flights per day, 24

hours a day.

The greatest error of her article is her misrepresentation of the Safe

and Healthy Communities Initiative. It will not prevent any of these

projects from occurring--it provides sound planning. The protections for

halting John Wayne expansion are the same as for halting El Toro. And the

jails to which the initiative applies are facilities of 1,000 or more

beds that are closer than half a mile to 100 or more homes. That is not

reckless, that is prudent and responsible.

Somers also implies that the decision is build El Toro or expand John

Wayne. This is the furthest thing from the minds of South County

residents. We do not want to see the physical expansion of John Wayne. We

do not want to see communities destroyed, just as we don’t want ours

destroyed. Our goal is for a regional transportation solution using

facilities outside of communities--where an airport is needed as an

economic engine and is supported by residents. I will fight the expansion

of John Wayne as fervently as I am fighting the imposition of El Toro.

JOHN BERRY

Aliso Viejo