Countywide : Riley Named Head of El Toro Board

The nine-member panel created to oversee El Toro Marine Corp Air Station’s conversion to civilian use on Wednesday unanimously elected County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley as its chairman.

Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez was elected vice chairman on a 6-3 vote over Irvine Mayor Michael Ward.

Both Riley and Vasquez will serve in the posts for a year.

The election went smoothly as the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority board met for only the second time at the County Hall of Administration in Santa Ana.

The leadership of the planning authority had been hotly debated before Wednesday’s meeting. County supervisors wanted the top two positions, while Irvine officials sought to have city representatives share in the leadership.

City representatives seemed satisfied by the results.

“I wanted to make sure the (election) process was open, and I’m glad that it is,” said Irvine Councilman Barry J. Hammond, who sits on the board.

The planning authority was formed after months of wrangling to chart the post-military use for the 4,700-acre Marine base, which is scheduled to close by 1999.

The board, which voted to hold its monthly meetings at 8 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month, is made up of the five county supervisors, three council members from Irvine, which has land-use authority over a portion of the base, and a council member for Lake Forest.

In another matter during the hourlong meeting, the board designated County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider to serve on a committee that will help devise a plan to clean up environmental waste at the base.