New Group Says Business Surveys Show Opposition to Airport at El Toro Base
A new coalition says two recent surveys undermine the perception that most county businesses and employees favor the controversial plan to build a civilian airport at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.
The Anaheim-based American Electronics Assn. polled the heads of its 170 Orange County member firms. Of the 39 companies responding, 64% opposed an airport, with another 10% asking the County Board of Supervisors to delay its base reuse planning process to study some troubling issues.
Meanwhile, Irvine-based Rainbow Technologies Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of software protection products, polled its 150 employees and found 78% of the more than 75 employees responding opposed an airport, citing concerns about noise, traffic, pollution and safety.
Rainbow Vice Chairman Peter Craig--who is also a chairman with the electronics association--said his firm and about 20 other businesses are banding together as the Orange County Business Coalition to counter the belief that most Orange County businesses support an airport.
“There’s this idea, this perception, that all businesses [endorse an airport] and it’s not true,” Craig said.
The Orange County Business Council--a prominent business advocacy group that has been leading the fight for an El Toro airport--noted the small number of responses to the two surveys and questioned why the new group picked such a similar name.
“It’s a conscious effort to mislead the community into believing it’s the Orange County Business Council, it’s the same initials, OCBC,” council vice president Tim Cooley said. “It’s tacky.”
Craig’s group, the Orange County Business Coalition, is also turning to the Internet to help build opposition to an airport at El Toro. The site address is: https://www.eltoroairport.org and it includes updates from other anti-airport groups.
County supervisors will meet next Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Hall of Administration in Santa Ana to decide on a reuse plan for the base.
