Briefly in the news

South County attorneys have asked an appellate court to halt Orange

County’s approval of an El Toro airport until a ruling on the Measure F

appeal.

Measure F, passed overwhelmingly by county voters in March 2000,

required a two-thirds public approval of any airport for the closed

Marine base. The measure was overturned by a Los Angeles Superior Court

judge in December.

With Friday’s filing, the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority, a

coalition of South County cities fighting the county’s airport plan, hope

to freeze efforts to develop an airport at the base.

A three-judge panel is expected to take up the authority’s appeal of

the Measure F ruling in December.

The Board of Supervisors on Oct. 23 certified the environmental report

for the airport. The board said the airport would serve 18.8 million

passengers a year, down from earlier plans to serve 28.8 million and 38

million passengers.