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Meetings Put Off in Bid for El Toro Compromise

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Giving both sides some breathing room to seek a possible compromise in their dispute over future use of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, Supervisor Thomas F. Riley on Friday postponed this month’s meetings of the county planning task force opposed by South County cities.

Members of the six-city, South County coalition, meanwhile, said their city councils will consider next week a proposal to form an intergovernmental agency that would compete with the county’s planning group.

According to one official involved in the El Toro discussions, Riley already offered this week--through one South County city--the broad outline for a compromise. But South County leaders were waiting for a “formal” offer to be presented to the group as a whole.

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In a memo to the Board of Supervisors, Riley said he had arranged for a two-week postponement of the two planning workshops scheduled for Tuesday and Sept. 30, and had directed county staffers to try to resolve the feud with the cities.

“If we continue to bicker and fight, we all lose!” the Riley memo stated. “Based upon recent conversations with some constituents, I am convinced that we can, and must, discuss the critical issues that keep us from forming a consensus group. . . .” His memo did not go on to say what those issues are.

The postponement announced by Riley came after the South County cities said they would not attend the workshops--a move which Riley said was caused by the cities’ misunderstanding of the county plan.

Riley also said he was “deeply concerned” that the Defense Department’s Office of Economic Adjustment will not grant federal funds to plan the base’s redevelopment until a countywide consensus is reached on a planning agency. A Defense Department official said this week that the county’s grant application for about $300,000 is currently “on hold.”

The South County cities have demanded a share of the final decision-making authority on the base conversion plan. But the county has refused, claiming it is the ultimate land use authority since most of the 4,700-acre base is in an unincorporated area of the county.

Members of the South County coalition met at Irvine City Hall on Friday to discuss what was believed to be a new offer from the county. However, as the meeting broke up more than an hour later, most of those attending said they were still waiting for a “formal” offer from the county.

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“There were indications that there may have been some discussions, but there has been no formal offer,” Laguna Beach Councilman Wayne L. Peterson said.

But there was optimism both sides would resume talks.

“If (negotiation) is the direction things are going in, we want to pull together in some way, shape or form,” Lake Forest Councilwoman Marcia Rudolph said.

The Irvine, Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo city councils will hold special meetings early next week to begin discussions on their proposed intergovernmental agency--one that would include all 31 Orange County cities and the county, if it chooses to join them. The cities of Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel and Lake Forest will also include the item on their regular meeting agendas next week.

The cities’ plan calls for the participation of an estimated 80 to 90 agency members--citizens, business leaders, homeowner association representatives and politicians--to draft base conversion plans. The recommendations would then go to a “board of directors” made up of officials of the 31 cities and the county.

But the final decision could only be made by an “executive committee” made up of representatives from the county, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, and Mission Viejo. The executive panel also would include representatives of Anaheim and Newport Beach--two cities backing the development of a commercial airport at El Toro.

Newport Beach Mayor Clarence J. Turner, whose city is backing the county plan, said Friday he had not seen the South County proposal. But he said that while his city would be offered a seat on the decision-making panel, its structure may be weighted too heavily in favor of South County cities that oppose an airport.

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“I think the county is doing the right thing, I still believe the county is the lead agency in this,” Turner said.

But Irvine Councilwoman Christina L. Shea said the plan--while giving extra influence to the cities closest to the base--is fair and urged everyone to at least consider the proposal.

“I think it’s a real good regional plan,” Shea said.

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