Deadline not fazing Newport Beach officials

Paul Clinton

JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT -- The days in January are slipping away and there

is still no deal in place for extending flight restrictions at the

airport, but Newport Beach leaders aren’t worried.

As they push to seal an extension deal before March 5, when voters

will head to the polls to decide whether to turn the closed El Toro

Marine Corps Air Station into a proposed Great Park, city leaders had

hoped to have county support by the end of January.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday was the last

opportunity this month for county leaders to certify the environmental

report of the airport that analyzes three potential scenarios for

extending the restrictions past Dec. 31, 2005.

The Feb. 5 meeting is the next chance for a certification of the

report, which would launch the formal push to finalize an agreement. The

Great Park vote would be just a month away.

If Measure W passes, thereby nullifying plans for an airport at the

base, county leaders might be more reluctant to agree to limits on John

Wayne, city leaders have said.

The city, county and two activist groups -- the Airport Working Group

and Stop Polluting Our Newport -- initially agreed to the 1985 deal that

put many of the restrictions in place.

At this point, city leaders essentially have the month of February to

lock in an extension.

“Whether we can accomplish that in February, I don’t know,” Councilman

Dennis O’Neil said. “The goal is to get it done in February, but if not

it will still get done.”

O’Neil said he was confident the deal would not collapse after March

5. During a series of meetings with city leaders, supervisors have

privately favored the deal, O’Neil said.

Supervisor Jim Silva, who represents Newport Beach and Costa Mesa in

his 2nd District, couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.

The city has proposed a minor expansion of the airport’s restrictions

by adding 1.4 million additional passengers to the annual cap of 8.4

million, 12 more of the noisiest flights to the 73 daily limit and four

additional airport gates.

Councilwoman Norma Glover and other city leaders also said they are

counting on the support of the cities in the John Wayne corridor, the

flight path under departing and arriving jets.

Those cities -- which include Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Tustin, Orange and

Santa Ana -- have all sent letters of support for the city’s preferred,

small scenario, Glover said.

Glover said she hoped the board could certify the report and terms of

a final deal, known as “the sixth stipulation,” by its Feb. 26 meeting.

The 1985 deal has been amended five previous times.

“As things evolve, I feel more confident each day because we have

gotten tremendous support from the corridor cities,” Glover said.

“Because of that, we will get support [from the board] no matter what.”

The City Council also is set to vote on a resolution Tuesday

supporting the city’s preferred scenario. In early February, the city’s

Planning Commission is scheduled to amend the general plan to acknowledge

the likelihood of traffic increases in the future caused from the slight

expansion.

Airport spokeswoman Ann McCarley said the report would go to the board

in “the next few months.”

Starting today, the county may legally begin responding to comments

received on the report. In a Jan. 7 letter, an airline trade group

manager blasted the report, calling it “fundamentally flawed” and

questioned whether the restrictions could be extended.

That group, the Air Transport Assn., represents the airlines and could

be a powerful voice in putting the brakes on the deal.

Those working on the deal have said they are sure they can bring the

airlines on board.