County Airport Expansion Bonds Gain

The Senate Local Government Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would make available $300 million in revenue bonds to expand John Wayne Airport.

The panel, which is chaired by Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach), approved an omnibus bill by Assemblyman Richard Robinson (D-Garden Grove) dealing with the investment policies of several local and state agencies.

One provision would allow Orange and Sacramento counties--which own airports serving their areas--to sell bonds to expand the facilities at fixed interest rates without voter approval.

“There is no airport in this state that has been subject to an election,” Robinson said when senators questioned him about the propriety of allowing the bonds to be sold without voter approval.

“These are revenue bonds,” Robinson continued. “The money (to retire the bonds) comes from TWA, Pan Am and AirCal. . . . The taxpayers have no responsibility.”

Bergeson, a longtime foe of plans to expand John Wayne Airport, cast one of the votes in favor of the measure.

Last year, in a landmark agreement that Bergeson applauded, the City of Newport Beach, a homeowners group and the Orange County Board of Supervisors signed an agreement allowing the county to build a 294,000-square-foot terminal at John Wayne to replace the overburdened structure that has been the county’s passenger terminal for nearly four decades. Also approved was an 8,400-car parking structure.

The agreement allowed county officials to increase flights and to move ahead with long-stalled plans for expanding the facility in exchange for promises to limit airport operations and to begin development of an alternate site within 10 years.

If Robinson’s bonds bill is approved, county officials hope to begin preparatory steps for expanding the new terminal this fall. The bill, which passed the Assembly 71 to 0 last April, now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.