Taking a Stand on El Toro Airport Plan

* Hugh Hewitt, articulate Republican leader and Chapman University law professor, seems to have had an intellectual conversion following the recent election.

In his Nov. 15 “Orange County Voices” article, “Local Party Still Packs Power,” while bemoaning the hits local Republican legislators took on Nov. 3, Hewitt focuses on two issues that he believes were clearly instrumental in what he described as a “disappointing outcome.”

One is the failure of the GOP to effect a minority outreach; the other is the opposition to the airport at El Toro.

I can’t comment on the first observation, but he’s dead on target on the second issue. Throughout the primary and the general election periods, the phones in our headquarters rang off the hook with voters seeking the names of candidates who opposed the county’s plan for a commercial airport at El Toro.

The folks we talked to didn’t care about the candidates’ party affiliation, they just wanted names of candidates who had a record of airport opposition. Coincidentally, pro-airport activist Assemblyman and state treasurer candidate Curt Pringle, among others, didn’t fare very well.

Clear-thinking political advisors should take note, since the airport issue will dominate the Orange County political scene for many years.

BILL KOGERMAN

Executive Director

Taxpayers for Responsible Planning

Taxpayers for Responsible Planning opposes a commercial airport at El Toro

* I am proud of those in my community who voted in the 2nd District supervisor’s race. We rejected the unwarranted negative campaign waged by candidate Dave Sullivan against Jim Silva.

We were wise enough to realize Sullivan was bought by South County residents for his negative vote against El Toro airport. We even saw through Supervisor Todd Spitzer’s political shenanigans when he tried to discredit Silva in order to sway votes to Sullivan.

Kudos to The Times, whose coverage of the battle over the county chief executive officer and El Toro airport allowed us to understand Spitzer wanted Sullivan as his political ally on the board since he could not persuade Silva to side with him on these issues.

Hopefully, Silva’s election sends a message to all future candidates that voters are able to sift through misinformation to get the truth and elect the best candidate for the job.

ANGELA GALLAGHER

Costa Mesa

* County planners have embarked on another multimillion-dollar study of a two-airport system, utilizing both John Wayne Airport and El Toro.

Political pressure keeps the county from admitting that building a new airport at the Marine base probably will result in the hugely wasteful closing of John Wayne, which is only seven miles away.

The Air Transport Assn., which represents the nation’s airlines, wrote to the county on Oct. 16 that the two-airport plan is not a viable option.

The letter also questioned the feasibility and cost of a rail link between the airports.

The airlines’ group repeated the concerns of pilots’ organizations and labeled prevailing winds and the adjoining mountainous terrain as factors in what type of operations we can safely conduct at El Toro.

LEONARD KRANSER

Dana Point