Attorney requests Wilson documents

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- An Airport Working Group attorney on Thursday filed a

request with the county for a document he says would ensure Supervisor

Tom Wilson has avoided a conflict of interest in the ongoing El Toro

Airport debate.

Richard Taylor, a leading member of the pro-El Toro group and a

Newport Beach resident, has requested paperwork that Wilson was supposed

to provide the county when he became a nonvoting member of the El Toro

Reuse Planning Authority in 1997.

At the time, lawyers for the county requested from Wilson written

assurance that there would be no conflict of interest or disclosure of

confidential information to the anti-airport planning authority, which is

embroiled in an ongoing lawsuit with the county over the fate of the

closed El Toro Marine Air Base.

Taylor said the document is conspicuously absent from other paperwork

on Wilson’s appointment, which Taylor requested and received as part of

the California Public Records Act.

Numerous requests to Wilson’s office have failed to get the the paper

in Taylor’s hands, he added.

“He’s working with a board that’s in essence suing his employer,” said

Taylor of the planning authority. “If this waiver it doesn’t turn up, or

if it doesn’t exist, I’d say Supervisor Wilson has some serious questions

to answer.”

Wilson, who has constantly been part of the board’s losing minority

vote against plans to build the commercial airport, could not be reached

Thursday for comment.

Taylor said he has requested a copy of the letter from Wilson’s office

several times, but has never had his request fulfilled.

On Wednesday, he took his request to the county’s attorneys. Deputy

County Counsel Don Rubin was charged with the task of tracking down a

copy of the document.

“I don’t know whether the document exists; we’re looking for it now,”

Rubin said.

Rubin added that he expects to have completed his search of files in

the county counsel’s offices by the middle of next week.

Si -- June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .