Role in Airport Debate Puts Panel in Spotlight

They give the go-ahead for a homeless shelter in Midway City, they have the power to approve a developer agreement for the 3,300-home Bolsa Chica project, and a 100-acre campus doesn’t get built in Aliso Viejo without their say-so.

Such wide-ranging authority makes the Orange County Planning Commission one of the most important government bodies in the county--but it also has the distinction of being one of the most obscure.

“I’d say most people don’t know who we are, they don’t know our names,” said Commissioner Clarice A. Blamer. “Unless someone has a project before us, they only have a vague idea of what it is we do.”

But the commission’s low profile may be short lived.

Recently, it has backed an unpopular plan to build a shelter for pregnant teens in a North Tustin neighborhood, found itself embroiled in a controversy involving a stalled Trabuco Canyon development and helped make way for a proposed maximum-security jail near a Lake Forest neighborhood.

Now, on Thursday, the Planning Commission goes under the bright lights like never before when it meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Hall of Administration to help to decide one of the most critical land use issues facing the county: whether to turn El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into a huge civilian airport.

The commission’s objectivity and independence will be tested. What’s expected to be a large crowd will include worried people who believe the commission is a rubber stamp for the pro-business county Board of Supervisors, who appoint the commissioners. Others are convinced the commission is composed of five fair-minded people beholden to nobody.

At issue is a 10-volume base reuse plan and draft environmental impact report put together by county staff at the Environmental Management Agency and John Wayne Airport and hired aviation consultants.

The report examines three base reuse options. The most contentious would turn El Toro into an international airport serving 38.3 million annual passengers a year, making it one of the largest airports in the nation.

The second option develops a general aviation-cargo airport at the 4,700-acre base while the third scenario turns El Toro over to non-aviation uses, such as businesses, homes, tourist attractions, recreational facilities and a campus.

The commission must decide whether the environmental report and accompanying documents follow state guidelines, such as addressing the airport proposal’s affect an airport would have on noise, traffic, pollution and public safety.

Also, the report must show what steps the county will take to mitigate, or lessen, those impacts, such as road improvement, flight paths that avoid populated areas and even sound-proofing efforts at area homes.

The commission recommends whether the Orange County Board of Supervisors should certify the report, setting the stage for a final decision on the airport plan.

Two other panels--the Orange County Airport Commission and the El Toro Citizens Advisory Commission--also meet Wednesday to make recommendations on a base reuse plan.

The Board of Supervisors in turn is scheduled to decide in December which base reuse option to pursue when the military abandons the base by mid-1999.

“Our role in this instance is just to make a recommendation on the certification of the environmental impact report,” said Commissioner Tom Moody. “We’re not making a decision on an airport.”

But for many critics who believe the county is biased in favor of an airport, approving the draft environmental impact report is tantamount to putting up an “El Toro Airport” sign.

Planning commissioners, who meet an average of three times a month and are paid a $100 stipend for each meeting, insist they are independent watchdogs over county development and planning issues. However, others say they are lap dogs to the Board of Supervisors, who are largely seen as pro-growth, pro-development and pro-business.

Adding to the suspicion is the fact that the staffers working on the report are also the staffers to the planning commissioners--who admit they have not been able to read every page of the massive environmental document of more than 10,000 pages.

That means the folks who wrote the report have a vested interested in convincing the commissioners that the document is sound, skeptics say.

“There’s no objectivity here,” said Lake Forest homeowner Joyce Zacher, who has closely been following the base reuse planning process because she believes an airport will bring unwanted noise, traffic and pollution. “This report is just not factual at all, it’s filled with inaccuracies. But I don’t think [the Planning Commission] is going to do anything about it. This is all a done deal.”

Moody takes offense at such comments. He admits he’s no aviation expert, but he says commissioners take a common-sense approach to the document and frequently grill staffers when things don’t sound right.

“I’ve been confident relying on county staff, I don’t think there’s a conflict,” said Moody.

Some also say that because supervisors approve commissioners, the commission in turn reflects the board’s pro-development reputation.

“The county’s leanings for years has been pro-economic growth, pro-private enterprise,” said Scott Bollens, an associate professor of urban and regional planning at UC Irvine. “But if the commission is trying to decide what to do, they rely on political signals, on political leanings.”

Longtime observers of the commission remain divided. Carolyn Wood, president of the Laguna Canyon Conservancy, said the commission is no friend to environmentalists and is inclined to simply follow staff recommendations.

“I’d have to say they take everything as it comes, they don’t have a blanket approach, which is good,” said Orange city activist Bob Bennyhoff. “You have a chance to get up and say your piece there.”

Commissioners say they never speak with supervisors about planning matters and insist their decisions are made without political consideration. Commissioners said they remain open-minded about this week’s vote, but at least one said he has serious reservations about the report.

Moody lives in Laguna Niguel and said he is likely to be affected by commercial planes flying overhead if El Toro becomes an airport. He said he feels the report downplays any potential airport’s noise and admits he believes the idea of an El Toro airport is “ridiculous.”

“I think their [noise] conclusions are real questionable,” Moody said.

Moody insists that he can still make an objective decision about the document, and declined to say whether he considers his concerns about noise to be “fatal flaws” that would cause him to oppose certification.

At least one other commissioner, Shirley Commons Long, said she is impressed with the document.

“To the best of my knowledge it appears to be very much an in-depth report,” she said. “I feel like they did a very good job.”

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THE KEY DECISION MAKERS

An important step in deciding whether a civilian airport is built at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station takes place Thursday. That’s when the Orange County Planning Commission votes whether to recommend approval of the environmental impact report on reuse options for the military base.

With the commission’s recommendation, the controversial report then goes before the Orange County Board of Supervisors, which will decide the fate of the 4,700-acre military base in December.

You can attend the commission’s public hearing at 1:30 p.m. at the Hall of Administration in Santa Ana. Comments can be faxed to commissioners at (714) 834-4652. County officials recommend that comments be sent as early as possible so commissioners can review them before the hearing.

You can write to the Orange County Board of Supervisors at the Hall of Administration, 10 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Phone and fax numbers for district offices are below. Comments should be sent as early as possible so supervisors can review them before their December hearing. Time and date to be announced.

Here are the key decision makers:

Orange County Planning Commissioners:

Ben Nielsen: 51, past mayor, city councilman, planning commissioner in Fountain Valley. Furniture manufacturer, active in Republican Party, Lincoln Club member. Recently appointed to the commission by 1st District Supervisor Roger R. Stanton. Describes himself as pro-business.

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Shirley Commons Long: Huntington Beach real estate agent. Director for state and national realty associations. Second District Supervisor Jim Silva’s appointment to the county planning commission. Served since 1993. Stressed that her job is to decide the whether the environmental report meets guidelines and not whether the airport itself should be approved.

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Clarice A. Blamer: 74, past mayor, councilwoman, planning commissioner in Brea. Retired high school teacher. Six years on county Transportation Commission. Served on the planning commission since 1991 and reappointed by 3rd District Supervisor Don Saltarelli. Advocates planned growth.

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E. Chuck McBurney: 67, former Anaheim planning commissioner. Land surveyor for private engineering firm. Appointed to county Planning Commission five years ago from the 4th District, which is also served by Supervisor William G. Steiner. Says no-growth proponents unreasonable.

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Tom Moody: 54, of Laguna Niguel. Teaches American government at Estancia High School in Costa Mesa and political science at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. Planning commissioner for 12 years, representing 5th District. Reappointed by then-Supervisor Marian Bergeson. Self-described reasonable environmentalist.

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Orange County Supervisors:

Roger R. Stanton: 59, of Fountain Valley. The current board chairman. Stanton’s term expires next month after 16 years representing his district, where voters repeatedly endorsed an El Toro airport. But Stanton has voiced concerns about an airport’s effect on noise, traffic and safety in South County. Office: (714) 834-3110; Fax: (714) 834-5754.

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Jim Silva: 52, Former Huntington Beach councilman and high school teacher. Likely to seek reelection when term ends in December 1998, placing him on track to become senior board member. A majority of his district’s residents favor an El Toro airport. Office: (714) 834-3220; Fax: (714) 834-6109.

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Don Saltarelli: 55, of Orange, owns Century 21 Realty in Tustin. Stepping down at year’s end after serving the remainder of former Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez’s term. Saltarelli’s district is divided over an airport. He said he won’t support a major international airport at El Toro, but could back a smaller airport. Office: (714) 834-3330; Fax: (714) 834-2786.

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William G. Steiner: 59, of Orange. The former head of the Orangewood Children’s Home was appointed to the board in March 1993. Will not seek election when term ends in December 1998. Voters in his district rely heavily on tourism and favor an El Toro airport. But Steiner remains worried about an airport’s negative effects on South County residents. Office: (714) 834-3440; Fax: (714) 834-2045.

NOTE: Supervisor Marian Bergeson recently resigned to become the state’s education chief. Gov. Pete Wilson is expected soon to name a replacement for Bergeson, who opposed a major airport at El Toro.