Letter on El Toro Elicits Response

* Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Thomas C. Edwards’ Oct. 19 letter attacking Irvine Mayor Christina L. Shea’s proposal to build a professional football stadium at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station has to be one of the most intellectually dishonest letters ever to disgrace your newspaper.

He claims, “Irvine does not own the 440 acres she’s offering to the NFL. Rather, the federal government owns the property.” The same applies to the land Edwards wants to turn into the nation’s fifth largest international airport. Ultimate disposal of the base will be determined by the Navy, based on a fair review of all submitted proposals, not the much-ballyhooed Measure A.

He claims, “Ms. Shea conveniently forgot that Orange County already has a stadium and an arena in Anaheim.” Has Edwards driven by Anaheim Stadium in the last year? The football seats were torn out long ago.

He claims, “Stadiums are built at taxpayers’ expense.” Edwards should go back and read Shea’s article again. She noted two examples of privately financed stadiums--Dodger Stadium and the new Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte. Let’s add two more to that list--Pro Player Stadium in Miami and Disney’s current renovation of Anaheim Stadium.

Edwards and his cronies fear the discussion of any other options for El Toro. Once the citizens of Orange County are presented with a true non-aviation alternative, it’s quite likely that this loony airport proposal will be given the boot. I applaud The Times for encouraging the submission of additional proposals for discussion, despite what Edwards might think.

STEPHEN C. SMITH

Irvine

* I strongly disagree with Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Thomas C. Edwards’ comment in his Oct. 19 letter that “the vote on Measure A and Measure S proved that the people of Orange County know the benefits and want an airport.”

Measure A was approved by the slimmest of margins almost three years ago, before people had all the environmental and cost facts about an airport, and passed only because voters were threatened with a jail and/or toxic waste dump if the airport wasn’t approved.

The well-funded, special-interest, pro-airport minority spent millions to frighten voters into supporting an airport. Slick full-color brochures featuring a Charles Manson-like figure behind bars and people dressed in hazardous material cleanup suits were frequently mailed to frighten voters into supporting an airport (and we’ll still get our 7,500-bed maximum security jail near Lake Forest if the supervisors have their way).

As further evidence that Measure A doesn’t reflect reality, both county and private polls now show that the airport is no longer supported by a majority of Orange County residents. People are no longer fooled by the baloney being put out by the self-serving pro-airport minority, including Edwards.

JIM RICHERT

Lake Forest

* In his Oct. 19 letter, H.H. Minick writes about the “arrogance of county officials.” If Minick wants to write about arrogance, here are some subjects:

Minick and some South County folks want the results of two elections, Measures A and S, set aside for no apparent reason except that it doesn’t suit a small minority.

These same folks want to overlook the fact that 21 out of 31 Orange County cities cast a vote continuing to plan for a commercial airport at El Toro.

And Minick and others want the cities surrounding John Wayne to absorb all of the inconveniences associated with an airport even though South County people would scarcely notice any difference between a commercial airport and the present Marine use of El Toro because of El Toro’s huge buffer spaces.

By contrast, any expansion of John Wayne as to size or usage would seriously affect the surrounding cities and especially Newport Beach.

Minick states the Board of Supervisors “should be concerned with the health and welfare of . . . all the citizens of Orange County,” but by implication wants them to overlook the cities near John Wayne.

Now that to me is arrogance!

J.W. KRAUS

Newport Beach

* I have a compromise solution to the El Toro Marine base problem. It came to me when I remembered an incident that occurred 15 or 20 years ago.

At a meeting on the subject of using Ontario International Airport to meet Orange County air travel needs, a gentleman from Ontario stood up and said, “Wait a minute, Orange County. Don’t try to export your air travel problem to us. Settle it in your own backyard!”

Why don’t we apply his suggestion to our present situation? Let’s go ahead and convert El Toro to a commercial airport, but offer only enough flights to meet the needs of those that would use it the most, South County residents and businesses.

We could start with 50 or 60 departures per day. Using 1995 population and air travel demand figures, I calculate it took 47 air carrier departures plus a few additional air cargo flights per day to meet South County demand. The number today is larger and will be much, much larger in the future.

The sad fact is the threat to South County quality of life is not a commercial airport at El Toro; it is the urban sprawl that is now engulfing it.

As things now stand, it’s only a matter of time until southern Orange County will be a gridlock of so-called “planned communities” from the Cleveland National Forest to the Pacific Ocean.

NORM EWERS

Irvine

* A reading of the tentative decision of Superior Court Judge Judith McConnell on the case of the county’s environmental impact report challenge tells the taxpayer that not only did the county minimize the environmental impacts on the citizenry, but it also failed to analyze the infrastructure improvements of the proposed project. This a blatant error and that’s the kind of thinking that got us into bankruptcy.

We need intelligent watchdogs on the Board of Supervisors to rein in this bad business judgment. They must not be in the pockets of moneyed special interests.

THOMAS M. WHALING

Irvine