Planning Decision on El Toro Is Encouraging

In one of those moments of timing in which public opinion and policymaking converge, the Board of Supervisors decided last week to support a proposal that would allow opponents of a commercial airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to prepare the county’s non-aviation plan for the base. The decision came a day after a UC Irvine poll was released that found substantial dissatisfaction with the county’s handling of base conversion.

To its credit, a board majority has reached the conclusion that the county has to take the initiative to resolve the impasse over base planning. The decision was in line with the consistent thinking of supervisors Thomas W. Wilson and Todd Spitzer, who long have called for a coalition of South County cities to design a non-aviation alternative. It was more difficult for Chairman William G. Steiner, whose decision constituted a change of heart. His was an exercise in the kind of leadership that is needed to move the process forward.

It’s now time for the supervisors to insist that a spirit of cooperation filter down through county staff as well. To this point, the staff people have come across as arrogant and generally out of touch with the legitimate concerns of residents who are alarmed about what a big airport would do the county’s quality of life. A Superior Court judge’s tentative ruling last week accusing planners of minimizing the impact of an airport supports the seriousness of residents’ concerns.

The UCI poll revealed that Orange County residents still are conflicted about turning the base into a commercial airport, with foes actually having a small edge. The 41% of respondents who favor an airport is not a huge number, but it is not an inconsequential one, either. At the same time, a substantial number would prefer to rely on John Wayne Airport alone.

These numbers suggest a few things. First, it is not a given that there has to be an airport at El Toro. Second, for an airport to be politically viable, it probably will have to be smaller rather than larger or even medium-sized. Third, it may have to be designed as a secondary field. Fourth, although alternative uses are being discussed as a backup for El Toro, they also should be considered supplementary uses to a small airfield.

The polling tells us that after several ballot measures driven by the airport proposal, there is still uneasiness about the base. The rush to judgment encouraged by big developers and the county’s brushoff of alternative uses in the environmental impact report have left a clear and justifiable impression that the fix is in. The county consistently has reinforced this notion with such hardball tactics as setting unacceptable conditions for South County participation in the planning. Last week’s decision by the supervisors was a welcome course correction.

The county’s unwillingness to take alternative ideas very seriously has been troubling from the beginning. Legitimate concern remains about the wisdom of wedging a big airport into areas that were planned around the idea that the Marine base always would be there. The UC Irvine poll, which addressed the question of converting El Toro into something other than a commercial airport, suggests the urgent need for a fuller exploration of alternatives. It is in that spirit that we publish today’s “Orange County Voices” article from Irvine Mayor Christina L. Shea, which discusses a stadium on her city’s portion of the base. We want to hear about other ideas and make them known to our readers on our opinion pages.

Last week’s board decision was a modest but encouraging step. It was, as Steiner suggested, “the first positive sign that we can work together to resolve our differences and make the best possible selection for the base.” In this most important land-use decision, this approach is essential to move forward.