Briefly in the news

-- Paul Clinton

County Supervisor Todd Spitzer has asked for a reassessment of the

county’s spending practices to stop huge losses expected to occur at John

Wayne.

In a Friday memo, Spitzer advocates a halt in spending from “Fund

14M,” an account set up to hold revenue from the airport. Supervisors

have routinely dipped into the account to fund the development of the

county’s plan for an airport at El Toro.

“I feel it is our obligation to review, assess and discuss the

financial fallout that will likely occur at John Wayne Airport in both

the short term as well as the long term,” Spitzer wrote.

Airport Director Alan Murphy has said he expects the airport to lose

more that $9 million over the next year due to huge cuts in flight

schedules by the airlines.

Expenses at John Wayne have also jumped, led by a $12 million increase

to provide increased security.

The Board of Supervisors will consider Spitzer’s request at the Oct.

16 meeting.