Councilman Proposes Alliance of South County Cities

Councilman Greg Smith is proposing the creation of an alliance of South County cities to combat what he sees as a pro-north bias among county leaders.

Smith will bring the proposal, which was endorsed by the Laguna Niguel City Council last week, to Irvine council members tonight.

Irvine and five other South County cities have been unified in opposing the county’s planning process for a proposed commercial airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. But voters last month defeated the South County-backed Measure S aimed at overturning overturned the earlier Measure A, which calls for an airport at the military base after its scheduled 1999 closure.

Irvine and Laguna Niguel recently agreed to appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit seeking to invalidate Measure A.

“I just don’t think our voices are being heard by either the county or state governments,” Smith said. “We see this as a real opportunity that would give us some clout.”

Laguna Niguel Mayor Patricia C. Bates said a South County alliance would also provide membership for unincorporated communities that share concerns about an El Toro airport and toll road construction.

“These are real issues that our citizens are raising with us,” Bates said. “We need to have a louder voice.”

South County officials want to prevent county government from imposing land-use decisions in their area, according to Smith, who has periodically suggested that South County may someday have to form its own government.

“We’re not interested in going beyond a formal alliance at this point,” Smith said. “But if we ever had any thought of taking it further, this would certainly be a good first step.”