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.