Briefly

--Paul Clinton

South County cities say they plan to take legal action to block Orange

County from paying for a public information campaign to promote a

commercial airport at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

The lawsuit will be filed “sooner rather than later,” said Terry

Dixon, an attorney for the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority.

On March 9, representatives from the agency’s nine member cities

directed their lawyers to file the suit, as well as petition the judge

handling the appeal of voter-approved Measure F to stop the spending.

The county Board of Supervisors approved a $5-million payment March 6

to the Orange County Regional Airport Authority.

The county has funneled $34.8 million since 1995 from the John Wayne

Airport budget to develop an airport at El Toro, a move Dixon criticized

as illegal.

Airport director Alan Murphy has said the money drain could result in

higher fees for parking and use of the terminal.