Readers Respond -- The airport’s passage sends mixed messages

Yes, the U.S. Air force should station a squadron of planes at the

planned El Toro International Airport to protect San Onofre Power Plant,

LAX and Long Beach (“Supervisors say El Toro’s ready to fly,” Wednesday).

This will require a big buffer zone and will keep open space from the

developers and their so-called Central Park initiative.

DONALD NYRE

Newport Beach

Supervisor Jim Silva is much more effective when he is dozing through

Board of Supervisor meetings than when he attempts to actually

contribute. He has apparently ignored the fact that El Toro is still

owned by the Navy. If they were seriously interested in operating the

base, all they had to do was unlock the gates.

The military had this option available previously and consistently

rejected joint use. Silva’s offer is nothing more than a cheap attempt to

cultivate support for El Toro by playing on the current wave of

patriotism brought about by the Sept. 11 tragedies.

So many airport supporters have proven they simply do not understand

the many differences between a military facility and a commercial

airport. The very concept is about as practical as operating an ocean

cargo facility in Newport Beach. The two activities simply don’t mix.

I for one would welcome the Marines back to El Toro at any time.

However, El Toro will never be a commercial airport and will never see

joint military/commercial use.

RICHARD SODEN

Lake Forest

Hurrah for Silva’s suggestion. Actually, joint use should be decided

by military expertise, not popularity among local voters. However, as I

told the supervisors six months ago, the federal government should not

give and Orange County should not take El Toro for any use except for an

airport usable by the military in time of need. I was delighted to hear

my neighbor, Derek Niblo, suggest joint use more than six weeks ago.

ROY B. WOOLSEY

Newport Beach

The standard 3-2 board majority has done as we knew they would. They

voted to approve the El Toro environmental impact report.

Board Chairwoman Cynthia Coad tells us that she intends to work

closely with community members so that in the end the people will have

something that the entire county is happy with. Really?

Would that be like the cooperation Coad has shown with the Federal

Aviation Administration, which has said the airport is badly planned

because the county failed to work with it? Or the pilots, who have told

the county time and again the north and east departures are unsafe? Or

Caltrans, which has said the county’s plan will require hundreds of

millions in unfunded highway construction along the Santa Ana and San

Diego freeways?

Or more importantly, perhaps she means the cooperation she’s shown to

local voters, more than 60% of whom do not want an airport at El Toro.

How about the 34 cities of the county, 32 of which have said no to an

airport? Or maybe it’s the five supervisorial districts in the county,

all of which have said no to an airport.

The only folks that Supervisors Coad, Charles Smith and Silva have

worked closely with are the moneyed interests in Newport, who want

commercial operations at John Wayne stopped. These three sycophants have

wallowed at the public trough long enough; it is well past time for their

constituents to show them the door.

MICHAEL SMITH

Mission Viejo