Irvine Official Mulls Quitting Commission

IRVINE — City Councilman Barry Hammond was considering Wednesday whether to resign from the El Toro Citizens Advisory Commission after he was blasted by residents and other council members for joining the group accused of a pro-airport bias.

“What I’m going to do I haven’t decided,” Hammond said. “I want to make sure the action I take truly represents the best interest of Irvine and South County.”

Hammond last week accepted a seat representing the 5th Supervisorial District on the county advisory panel reviewing a proposal to turn the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into a commercial airport. He said he took the position because he wants to be a “strong opponent in the enemy’s camp.”

His action prompted some city residents and council colleagues Tuesday night to demand that he resign from the commission, but Hammond refused. During a two-hour heated discussion that sometimes turned into a shouting match, Hammond was accused of disloyalty to his city as well as several south Orange County communities fighting the airport.

“We have a council member out there running his own plays,” Councilman Dave Christensen said.

Mayor Christina L. Shea told Hammond: “I’ve had 15 calls from people who think you’ve jumped ship. I’m just baffled why a change of heart has taken place after this council has talked about this over and over and over again.”

Angry over his refusal to step down, the council voted 4 to 1 to prohibit Hammond or any other council member from serving on the advisory commission. The council also agreed to send a letter to the county, the federal government and south Orange County city leaders denouncing Hammond’s acceptance of an appointment to the panel.

However, it appears the council can’t force Hammond to resign.

“The position we are talking about is one that any elected official in the 5th Supervisorial District can fill. It’s a determination made by a regional entity, not a city issue,” City Atty. Joel Kuperberg said.

For two years, Irvine has boycotted the county commission, arguing that the city deserved a decision-making role--not merely an advisory one--in the planning process for El Toro, which the military will abandon in 1999.

“I don’t want it to be construed that Irvine as a city has changed its position, because we haven’t,” Hammond explained. “I’m representing the 5th district for the League of California Cities. That’s different from being a representative for the city of Irvine.”

Hammond said he asked his colleagues’ opinion about joining the commission and got no negative reaction.

“If [Tuesday’s] discussion had happened before last week, I would have never put my name in for the nomination,” he said.

Other city leaders in south Orange County also are seeking Hammond’s resignation.

“To put one of their own on there undermines the efforts they have undertaken for all of us,” Laguna Niguel Mayor Patricia C. Bates said. “While there’s nothing legally the council can do to remove Barry, he does have an obligation to the people.”