El Toro Fliers and the Facts

Your Feb. 8 article, “Truth Crash-Lands in El Toro Airport Fliers,” did exactly what it claims others are doing regarding the El Toro issue; it misinforms the public.

By including the “Jim Lacy for Assembly” campaign mailer under “Misinforming Mailers,” not only did you do a disservice to the public by perpetuating the myth that an El Toro airport can be constructed without exposure to taxpayers, you maligned a campaign that is being run in a highly professional and above-board manner.

Your article states that the Lacy mailer is in error, because “airport revenue bonds are paid back from revenues generated by the airport, and any risk is assumed by the bondholders.” It immediately goes on to say, however, that county officials say that in the event that revenues fall short of the amount needed to repay the bonds, “money can be raised from extra passenger charges and airport-related fees.” This is the classic response of county government in the post-Proposition 13 era. Government agencies almost never call them taxes anymore; the terms “charges,” “fees” and “cost recovery” are preferred.

Regardless of what you call them, the very same taxpayers that have been told what a great “gift” an El Toro airport is would be called on to pick up the tab if the county’s financial forecasts are wrong. (Of course the county is almost never wrong on financial matters, if you don’t include history’s largest municipal bankruptcy.)

As a longtime opponent of the county’s efforts to force an airport at El Toro, I have found that The Times has given fair treatment to both sides of this issue. In this case, however, I think The Times missed the mark.

MARK J. GOODMAN

Mayor Pro Tem

Laguna Niguel

* I want to thank The Times for setting the record straight regarding the numerous misrepresentations and lies included in the Newport Beach-based Airport Working Group’s mailer.

However, I do have to take exception to The Times’ correction of Project 99’s assertion that takeoffs could occur to the west over Irvine (north takeoffs will also go over Irvine). The county has no say in which direction heavily loaded airplanes will take off. Safety dictates which runway will be used, and that is determined by the Federal Aviation Administration and pilots.

The county’s existing reuse plan states there will be westerly takeoffs, although the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution not to allow takeoffs to the west. However, that resolution can be reversed in a simple majority vote.

CHERYL HEINECKE

Irvine