Every vote counts

Greg Risling

Only hours remain before Orange County residents begin to cast their

votes for or against Measure F, prompting both sides to flood mailboxes

and airwaves with last-minute propaganda.

Voters have been inundated with scores of fold outs that have a

concoction of statements and quotes favoring their views on the

initiative. The advertising blitzkrieg has fueled the rancor between

groups on both of the issue leaving voters in the cross-fire. Some have

grown tired of the political rhetoric spewed out by organizations

lobbying for the passage or defeat of Measure F.

“Enough is enough already,” said Jan Salinsky, who lives in Costa Mesa.

“All anyone can talk about these days is Measure F, but who can discern

the fact from the fiction? I can’t wait until this whole thing is over.”

Many residents may feel the same way as Salinsky after being bombarded

with brochures and signs about Measure F. Most Orange County residents

associate the initiative with the debate over a proposed international

airport at the closed El Toro military base. If passed, Measure F would

require a two-thirds voter approval of future airport, jail and hazardous

waste landfill projects.

However, for some voters, the only means of educating themselves about

Measure F has come from brochures.

“To be honest, I don’t really know much about the measure,” said Edward

Rawlins, a Newport Beach resident. “But what I do know comes from the

information I receive at my apartment. I’ve received stuff from both

sides so I’ll just go from that.”

The mailers have been the bread and butter during the campaign. Both

sides have infiltrated their opposing camps, trying to persuade voters to

the other side.In recent days, South County residents have received

brochures urging them to vote no on the measure. One flier put out by the

Citizens for Jobs & the Economy recruits officials from the town targeted

lobbying against the measure. Instead of pushing the airport issue,

anti-Measure F supporters have focused on the jails. One mailer claims

“every school, church and home will be at risk” as well as “property

values will plummet” if Measure F passes.

Conversely, measure proponents have sent a steady stream of brochures to

the Newport-Mesa region. The most recent mailer shows a purported

politician whose nose is elongated. Inside the brochure, six “lies” are

listed, which reportedly have been attributed to some county politicians.

Another flier gives voters a chance to check a box indicating who they

most trust. In one column are the faces of the three Orange County Board

of Supervisors who support an airport at El Toro -- Cynthia Coad, Jim

Silva and Chuck Smith. Another column shows “county government

bureaucrats,” and the last column has a picture of a family labeled “you

and your neighbors.”

Throughout Orange County, various Measure F campaign signs dot front

lawns and line roadways. Again, while most of the pro-F placards scream

“Stop El Toro Airport,” anti-F signs stress public safety, with slogans

such as “Cops say No on F” and “No Jails in Our City.”