Airport Planners Hail Grand Jury’s Report

County officials on Thursday hailed a new report by the Orange County Grand Jury that found they are complying with federal and state laws in their planning for a commercial airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

“This is really the first impartial review of the [El Toro planning] program, and we are really delighted that the grand jury has given us a clean bill of health,” said Gary Proctor, chairman of the county’s El Toro advisory commission.

Critics have long complained that the planning process is flawed, in part because it does not adequately consider the views of airport opponents who live around the base.

But the report said county officials “should be commended for [their] dedication and professionalism in conducting a complex reuse planning effort . . . under the scrutiny of the public, press and even the grand jury.”

The report also stated that the grand jury found no instances in which airport information was withheld by officials “to the detriment of the public.”

The report, which took eight months to prepare, looked narrowly at the county’s planning process for the base, set to close in mid-1999, and was not meant to judge the merits of placing an international airport at El Toro.