Lobbying on El Toro Builds to a Fever Pitch

On the eve of a crucial decision on whether a commercial airport belongs at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, county supervisors found themselves besieged Monday by last-minute lobbying and more than 1,000 faxes and phone calls.

“It’s intense. It’s really intense. There’s all kind of pressure,” said Supervisor Don Saltarelli, who spent much of the day meeting with people on both sides and reviewing sometimes hostile messages from constituents. “It hasn’t slowed down a bit.”

The fifth floor at the Hall of Administration was frenzied as airport partisans seized every opportunity to lobby as today’s decision on the fate of the retiring military base appeared headed for a nail-biting finish.

Board Chairman Roger R. Stanton, who may be the swing vote, received more than 100 faxes alone Monday--bringing the total to nearly 1,000 over the last several weeks.

Staff for Supervisor William G. Steiner were fielding constant requests for an audience and Saltarelli reported getting a nasty phone message accusing the supervisors of being “criminal” and warning him to “be prepared” for the backlash if they didn’t vote to support an airport.

“It’s been nonstop--the phone, the faxes,” sighed Steiner, noting his office has gotten nearly 500 faxes and messages in the last week, a slight majority supporting an El Toro airport.

Saltarelli said the lobbying was so ceaseless that he had barely dashed out to the elevator when he was nabbed by airport critic Doyle Selden, wanting a moment of the supervisor’s time.

Supervisors are expected to decide whether to support a hotly debated environmental impact report that portrays an international airport capable of serving 38.3 million passengers a year as the best future use for the military base. They also are expected to decide which base reuse plan to continue studying over the next two years.

Groups of airport supporters and opponents were rallying members, urging them to flood the supervisors’ meeting and speak before the vote is taken. There were accusations that pro-airport forces would pack the chambers to keep airport foes out of the meeting.

“We hear they’re trying to keep us out,” said South County anti-airport activist Bill Kogerman.

Responded Newport Beach airport supporter Clarence J. Turner: “We’re just letting people know they need to get there early if they want a seat.”

It appeared the proposed airport was likely to be passed by the pro-business board, but recent political developments are making it impossible for supervisors themselves to predict what will happen.

The atmosphere reminded Steiner of the uncertainty over Measure R, the tax increase the board put on the ballot in 1995 to help solve the county’s bankruptcy.

“We were going down the elevator into an emotionally charged meeting, facing proponents and opponents of Measure R in the midst of the bankruptcy, not knowing what the vote would be,” Steiner recalled.

It was long assumed Steiner, joined by supervisors Roger R. Stanton and Jim Silva, would vote for an airport that is heavily supported by their constituents.

But Stanton surprised many when he said last week that he is troubled by an airport’s potential impact on South County residents--putting him in the position of possibly swinging the vote against the airport.

Many of the last-minute communications to supervisors have urged them to postpone the vote for further study of an airport and until newly elected supervisors Todd Spitzer and Charles V. Smith take office in January.

Thomas W. Wilson, who was named to the board last week by Gov. Pete Wilson, plans to ask for a delay, and his request has been bolstered by similar demands from Spitzer, state Sen. John R. Lewis (R-Orange), Assemblymen Bill Campbell (R-Orange) and Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside), and others.

However, Steiner has made it clear he is not interested in a delay and Saltarelli--whose district includes many airport opponents--said a postponement may ultimately hurt South County residents.

Saltarelli said the current board may be willing to compromise on the size of a proposed airport and place controls on airport operations.

“If we leave this decision completely up to the next board, and they choose a [major international airport], I would feel I was remiss for not doing something to scale it back,” Saltarelli said.

Airport opponents, who mostly live in South County near the base and under its projected flight paths, are urging supervisors to reject an airport because of concerns about noise, traffic and its effect on property values. They say the environmental impact report is flawed.

The letters and phone calls from supporters reminded supervisors that county voters have twice endorsed building an airport when the military abandons the base in mid-1999, and say the environmental study proves the feasibility of an El Toro airport.

The vote is the most important decision on the airport plan to date, but is not the final say on what happens at the military base.

Whichever option the board chooses for the base--a commercial-cargo airport, a cargo-general aviation airport, or a non-aviation, mixed uses--it will trigger a more detailed round of environmental impact reports followed by votes by the county Planning Commission and the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

A final action on the airport is likely to be two years away, officials said.

“I want to stress we are at the beginning of a lengthy and detailed environmental study and planning process,” project spokeswoman Kathleen Campini Chambers said.

The board’s vote is needed so the county can craft a base reuse plan scheduled to be submitted to the U.S. Department of the Navy by Dec. 30.

The federal government in turn needs the information to perform its own round of environmental studies and determine whether it will give the surplus land to the county when the base is retired.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Airport Vote

The Orange County Board of Supervisors meets today to decide whether to pursue development of a commercial airport when El Toro Marine Corps Air Station is retired by the military in mid-1999.

At issue: Environmental impact report that studied three options: a passenger-cargo airport; a cargo-general aviation airport; using the 4,700 acres largely for business, residential, and recreational purposes. Supervisors will decide whether to certify the report and which reuse plan to adopt. The decision isn’t the last word, however. More detailed environmental planning could take up to two years, and would be followed by a final board vote on a reuse plan.

Meeting Specifics

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: Hall of Administration, 10 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana

Schedule: Elected officials and recognized groups supporting or opposing a new airport at El Toro will address supervisors from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.; public comment begins at 4:45 p.m.