LOCAL ELECTIONS: NEWPORT CITY COUNCIL RACE : Noise From Airport Still the Main Issue

Two years ago, Councilman Clarence J. Turner, the president of the county’s Airport Working Group, passed out a memorandum to his colleagues on the City Council who were running for reelection.

The memo spelled out some of the obstacles that the city faced in resolving the issue of noise at John Wayne Airport, and Turner said he wanted his colleagues to be sure they weren’t making promises the city couldn’t keep.

“You might think that was really presumptuous of me,” Turner recalled in a recent interview. “But I thought it was important that people know. Since then, things haven’t really changed.”

Additional flights that increase noise at the airport is one of the issues most often asked of candidates running for four seats on the City Council in the Nov. 6 election. The airport issue hits close to home for residents, who are quick to point out that noise at John Wayne Airport lowers property values and mars the peace of their beachfront community.

In the race for the District 1 council seat, in which three-term incumbent Donald A. Strauss is being challenged by political newcomer John Hedges, the debate has been over support for an alternate airport site. Hedges argues that his job as a pilot for Northwest Airlines gives him the technical expertise to evaluate expansion at John Wayne Airport. He advocates a variety of alternative sites, including George Air Force Base, in order to reduce demand at John Wayne.

Strauss, however, maintains that an alternate site ought to be in Orange County. He says that the ideal solution would be joint civilian and military use of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, though he admits such shared usage would be difficult to negotiate.

Councilwoman Evelyn R. Hart, the incumbent being challenged in the District 3 race by resident Jan Vandersloot, also says that the airport noise issue is a top priority for the council. She says her role in various county groups, such as the League of Cities, gives her a regional perspective on solutions.

“We’ve always said that if there is anything that could destroy the quality of life in Newport, it is the airport,” Hart said. “That’s why we take it as seriously as we do.”

In his plan to reduce noise and restrict airport expansion, Vandersloot says he would push for annexation of Santa Ana Heights, in order to limit the county’s eminent domain in the area. He would also work on the county level for more transit access to Los Angeles International, and he says that both George and Norton Air Force bases should be looked at to ease air traffic at John Wayne Airport.

“The important thing is to deflect demand,” Vandersloot said. “There has to be a regional plan, and John Wayne is unfortunately going to be part of that plan. But John Wayne should just be a regional airport and not be used as a long-haul airport.”

Turner, the incumbent in District 4, and Phil Sansone, the incumbent in District 6, are both running unopposed for their seats.

On other issues, challengers Vandersloot and Hedges both advocate a mandatory two-term limit for council members.

Hedges not only has questioned Strauss’ extended tenure on the council but has also denounced the councilman for alleged inaction on the peninsula’s problem with weekend cruisers. Traffic and weekend parking congestion continue to be hot issues.

Among the solutions that Hedges advocates is an increase in the number of officers on the city police force, creation of a bicycle patrol unit for the peninsula, and formation of a task force to preempt problems with gangs that visit the area.

Strauss maintains that the city has acted to control cruising, and that the council continues to examine alternative solutions. The councilman says that a two-term limit on council members is unnecessary, since voters who disagree with the council can always vote against the incumbents.

In the District 3 race, Vandersloot and Hart have debated the protection of view corridors from public parks. Hart says preservation of open space and the quality of life has been a primary emphasis of her tenure on the council.

But Vandersloot, who says that he was asked to run for the council by the leadership of the Newport Heights Community Assn., questions Hart’s record on public parks and says that with the redevelopment plans for Mariner’s Mile set to come before the council in the next year, it is important that the District 3 representative vigorously enforce height and density limitations in the area, which runs along Coast Highway from Bayside Drive to the Arches Bridge.

Vandersloot has also backed a plan to resurrect the Newport Trolley, a seaside transit system which ran from the Fashion Island areas to the more popular tourist spots. The trolley folded in 1987 because of lack of funds. Vandersloot has proposed that fees from encroachment permits be used to subsidize the trolley, thus increasing public access to the beach, while cutting back on traffic and congestion.

NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL These are the candidates running for four seats on the Newport Beach City Council in the Nov. 6 election. District 1 Donald A. Strauss Age: 74 Occupation: Incumbent; retired vice president of administration, Beckman Instruments. Background: Three- term City Council member; served 10 years on Newport-Mesa Unified School Board of Trustees. Issues: Favors controls on John Wayne Airport extension by establishing joint use of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station; places priority on increasing water quality in Newport Harbor; favors balancing residential and commercial development in city. John Hedges Age: 35 Occupation: Commercial airline pilot, local businessman, publisher of newsletter on real estate issues. Background: Retired captain, U.S. Air Force, now serving in the Air Force reserves; former reserve police officer. Issues: Advocates a new airport in Orange or Riverside counties; supports use of reserve police officers to assist city force during busy seasons; favors two-term limit on council members; supports the formation of a gang task force for the city to preempt gang crime. District 3 Evelyn R. Hart Age: 59 Occupation: Incumbent; former co-owner sporting goods business, retired. Background: Three- term City Council member; member of League of Cities board; serves on a number of city committees. Issues: Supports alternate airport to be constructed within the county; favors reducing Newport Beach’s dependence on imported water by establishing additional water reclamation projects; advocates public and private sector efforts to increase ride-sharing. Jan Vandersloot Age: 45 Occupation: Dermatologist. Background: Vice president of Newport Heights Homeowners Assn.; steering committee member of Stop Polluting Our Newport; member of Airport Site Coalition. Issues: Supports annexation of Santa Ana Heights to limit the county’s eminent domain in the area; advocates further investigation of George and Norton Air Force bases for new facility; supports restraints on growth and an active city role in preservation of open space; opposes height variances that affect residential neighborhoods. District 4 Clarence J. Turner Age: 57 Occupation: Incumbent; businessman, commer cial real estate. Background: First-term City Council member; president of Airport Working Group; vice chairman of Airport Site Coalition. Issues: Favors strong regional and city efforts to deflect demand from John Wayne Airport with construction of another airport; involved in negotiations of circulation and build-out element for Newport Beach in conjunction with the Irvine Co.; supports balance of residential and commercial interests in the city. District 6 Phil Sansone Age: 71 Occupation: Incumbent; retired Air Force lieutenant colonel; retired vice president and general manager of San/Bar Corp. Background: First-term City Council member. Issues: Opposes granting variances to the 1988 general plan; supports actions to ease traffic in Corona del Mar and to provide the “fair share” of funding for capital improvements; supports private redevelopment of older parts of the city; favors increasing coordination between city departments.