Newport Beach officially opposes Measure W
-- Paul Clinton
Calling Measure W “fatally flawed,” Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway
signed a proclamation Friday putting the city on record as an opponent of
the initiative.
The move was less than surprising, as the city has been the most
active town in the county in pushing for an airport at the closed El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station.
Measure W, which will go to a countywide vote March 5, would rezone
the base from aviation to open space. It would halt Orange County’s
airport planning at the base.
In the proclamation, Ridgeway said the initiative would “deprive the
citizens of Orange County of the economic benefits of an airport, while
exposing taxpayers to the risk of higher taxes and liability.”
Several estimates of the South County proposal to build a Great Park
at the base have said it would be costly to build. Airport proponents say
the only way to pay for such a plan would be through increased property
taxes.
Ridgeway’s two-page proclamation comes three days after community
activists and City Council members agreed the city should take a position
on Measure W. The issue was discussed at the Tuesday council meeting.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.