South County Cities Want Representation on El Toro Board

Representatives from South County cities in the path of a proposed commercial airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station on Tuesday urged the Board of Supervisors to give them seats on the panel that will ultimately help determine the base’s fate.

Under the current structure, an executive panel made up of the five supervisors is scheduled in November to select a redevelopment plan for El Toro and forward the decision to the Department of Defense.

But officials from Irvine and Lake Forest asked that representatives from their cities and perhaps other nearby South County communities be included in the panel as a way of providing a more balanced perspective.

“We are the ones directly impacted by this,” said Lake Forest Mayor Richard T. Dixon. “We deserve a stronger voice.”

Supervisor Marian Bergeson, who represents South County, asked county planners to consider ways of giving nearby residents greater input and influence in the redevelopment process, including the possible expansion of the executive panel.

She also suggested that the panel, known as the Local Redevelopment Authority, hold monthly meetings in South County so residents can express their opinions.

“The current process is neither fair nor as balanced as it should be,” Bergeson said.

South County residents have been locked in a four-year battle with the county over planning for the 4,700-acre base, which is scheduled to close by 1999.

Many residents who live around El Toro oppose its conversion to a commercial airport because of traffic, noise and pollution concerns.

In March, voters defeated Measure S, a South County-backed initiative that would have made it difficult to build a commercial airport. Many business leaders and North County residents support the airport concept, saying it would boost the economy and create jobs.

Dixon and Irvine Mayor Mike Ward have repeatedly turned down invitations from the county to sit on a lower-level El Toro advisory committee, saying the planning process was slanted in favor of an airport.

Earlier this month, the county unveiled three preliminary reuse proposals for the base, two of which included some type of airport.

One proposal would transform the base into a massive airport equivalent in size to San Francisco International and capable of handling 50 hourly takeoffs and landings.

The second proposal would convert the base into a less intense air cargo facility and general aviation airport.

The third plan calls for the development of schools, universities, a theme park and various residential, commercial and industrial developments on the land.

South County leaders said Tuesday they would consider dropping their El Toro-related litigation against the county if they felt their cities were being given a significant voice in the decision-making process.

Supervisor William G. Steiner, who asked the officials about the possibility of ending their legal fight, commented: “It would be difficult to have reconciliation in an atmosphere of litigation.”