Debate on El Toro takes off again

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa need to make a quick, accurate

assessment of Los Angeles’ intentions. The time to support a

commercial airport at El Toro was no later than two years ago. Why

was Los Angeles silent then? Every argument it uses now concerning El

Toro would apply to John Wayne Airport. If it can’t overturn what

Orange County voters have decided with it’s last-minute ploy, it may

redirect its money, energy and influence to expanding any regional

airport, including John Wayne.

NED MCCUNE

Costa Mesa

I believe there is still a chance for a commercial airport at the

closed El Toro Marine Air Base because:

1. The settlement agreement in the litigation of the Airport

Working Group and others against the Navy’s plans in federal court

has not yet been completed, and the federal judge has stated that the

settlement agreement when completed must be made available for review

and comment by interested parties at a public hearing before he will

sanction the settlement agreement.

2. The responsibility has not been determined as to who will clean

up the site, including the soil (contaminated with hydrocarbon based

weed-killer) supporting the runways, and the working group has stated

that this responsibility must be included by the Navy in the

settlement agreement and sanctioned by the judge in federal court.

3. El Toro Airport remains important to this county and the nation

for purposes of national security and our economy.

4. The majority of residents in Orange County are beginning to

understand the importance of having El Toro Airport and they passed

Measure B at the November 2002 election by a super-majority of 60%

supporting the official proponents’ argument (included with the

Registrar’s sample ballot) that the federal government should lease

the existing Runway 16L-34R at the closed El Toro to the Los Angeles

World Airports to operate it as a national airport to bypass the

restrictions of Measure W and help pay for cleanup of the

contamination.

5. It is the last site in this region with an adequate

noise-tolerant buffer zone for an airport. Once gone, we lose an

important opportunity to solve this region’s air transportation

growth problems.

CHARLES GRIFFIN

Newport Beach

Yes, yes let’s keep it alive. We need an airport there.

DONNA ALBERTSEN

Newport Beach

Hooray to the visionary leaders in the city of Los Angeles who

have the vision and courage to explore using the former El Toro

Marine Air Base as one of our regional airports. As former executive

director of the El Toro Local Redevelopment Authority, and having

personally worked on El Toro Airport planning for more than five

years, I would like to briefly point out some very compelling

arguments for supporting this initiative. El Toro Airport represents

a safe, convenient, low-cost option for Southern California that can

be operational in temporary facilities within 12 to 18 months after

getting the green light.

There continues to be demand for air capacity in Southern

California. At Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport, air

carriers actively compete for open slots. The environmental impacts

at El Toro are manageable. There are virtually no homes within the

existing 14,000-acre noise buffer zone that surround the 4,700-acre

site. El Toro is bordered by four highways and Amtrak -- very easy

ground access already in place. Operating El Toro as a commercial

airport would improve air quality and traffic in the region due to

the decrease in diesel trucks carrying air cargo to and from LAX each

day.

Airport development costs will be lower than usual since there is

no land to purchase (already owned by the feds) and the runways are

already built. The Federal Aviation Administration has already

approved safe aircraft arrival and departure procedures for El Toro

Airport. It can be designed and built as a state-of-the art airport

with all the latest in aviation security. Its close proximity to Camp

Pendleton makes it a great back-up military airfield.

I applaud L.A. Mayor James Hahn, L.A. Airport Commission President

Ted Stein, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Rep. John Mica and Supervisor

Charles Smith, all of whom understand the enormous aviation value El

Toro represents to our region in the decades to come.

Let’s show full support to our elected officials for this bold

move. They will need it. With certainty, El Toro Airport opponents

will be ruthless, merciless and well funded in their opposition.

GARY SIMON

Huntington Beach

The chances for El Toro are good.

And it is good for: Orange County, South California, for

employment and future generations, and for the economy.

You can’t stop the progress.

MARIA and DANIEL BARRERA

Newport Beach

Your Saturday article “L.A. jump-starts El Toro battle” describes

clearly the issues at the former El Toro Marine Air Base to re-open

the airport as a commercial airport. The article quotes both Tom

Naughton, a volunteer and president of the Airport Working Group, and

Mimi Walters, chairwoman of the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority, the

South County anti-airport group, and a paid public relations

consultant.

The Southern California region is deficient in airports; without

El Toro there will be a 16% shortfall in airport capacity by 2025.

Orange County especially is lacking in airports and now exports 12

million passengers a year to LAX.

L.A. Mayor James Hahn is presenting a solution to this lack of

airport capacity by offering Los Angeles World Airports as the

operator of the El Toro commercial airport. That group already

successfully manages four airports: LAX, Palmdale, Van Nuys and

Ontario.

Rep. Chris Cox’s statement that there will be “a creation of the

second largest municipal park in the nation” is disingenuous. The

“Great Park” has now been reduced to little more than 300 acres, and

the land is contaminated by toxic wastes. There is a federal court

case challenging the amount of cleanup necessary, so that even the

existence of a future park is in jeopardy.

The Southern California region needs the El Toro airport to meet

the demands of future growth of the economy.

SHIRLEY A. CONGER

Corona del Mar

Being a Navy pilot, I consider El Toro one of the greatest

airports that I have used.

Our friends and Reps. Chris Cox and Dana Rohrbacher should have

taken this serious matter to higher levels long ago to avoid South

County interruptions.

Common sense dictates the need.

R. BROWN

Newport Beach