Irvine and O.C. Fire Authority

Just about everyone in Orange County has had enough of the Irvine City Council’s threats and efforts to blackmail other cities in Orange County (Oct. 15).

They should not threaten to drop out of the Orange County Fire Authority; they should be thrown out by the other members. This is just the most recent public threat they have made. There have also been many threats made behind the scenes that have not been made public. Perhaps your reporters should investigate.

This is being done because they know that they must keep the facts about an airport at El Toro away from the people, for the truth would lead to an aviation use.

No one in Irvine gets overflown, and not one single public school is in the noise contours. The Board of Supervisors voted for ideal restrictions to protect South County. The huge buffer zone makes it the most ideal place in the United States for a quality, environmentally protected airport.

Even though 36% of the users of John Wayne Airport work in Irvine, the City Council of Irvine wants the residents of central Orange County to bear the burden of all the air traffic for the fifth largest county in the United States.

The people of Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Orange, Tustin, North Tustin, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, and I hope all other cities, will not be intimidated. Blackmail does not work here. Mayor Christina L. Shea and council members who support this type of behavior should be ashamed.

DONALD J. SALTARELLI

Former Orange County supervisor

Orange

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Irvine is contemplating a retaliatory act of economic war, in an economic war that it didn’t start. El Toro airport has always been a battle of money vs. quality of life. Measure A, which mandated an airport at the closing Marine base, was funded by special-interest and developer money.

Those who criticize Irvine for playing hardball and not wanting to subsidize this threat to its residents’ way of life lose sight of several facts.

Newport Beach has spent millions of dollars to promote moving John Wayne Airport’s jet noise to Irvine. Newport Beach hired former Supervisor Don Saltarelli to help it achieve this goal. And Newport Beach pays its assistant city manager to run the Orange County Regional Airport Authority, a pro-El Toro airport lobbying group that includes some of the very cities that Irvine subsidizes through the firefighting organization.

A costly economic war is being waged in Orange County over the divisive issue of El Toro. It will continue until the Board of Supervisors assumes leadership or the voters end it at the polls. Until then, why must Irvine be the good guy and give financial aid and comfort to those who are threatening its residents’ homes and quality of life?

LEONARD KRANSER

Dana Point

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The city of Tustin was allowed to decide the fate of the closed Marine base there. It was the right of the local community to decide, and that was as it should be.

But in the case of El Toro, the county has allowed the machinations of a few wealthy developers, and the vague preferences of people in cities that are removed from and unaffected by the impact of an airport, to strip away the rights of six South County cities to determine their own destinies.

Citizens who feel they can support an airport because it doesn’t affect them will now see that actions have consequences that can affect people countywide. North County cities may condemn the “scorched earth” policies of Irvine, but it is the only way to get our point across.

ARNOLD BURKE

Lake Forest

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Though I am not convinced whether Irvine should drop out of the Orange County Fire Authority, the proposal does merit consideration.

All must understand that an El Toro airport and the Fire Authority are already critically linked. That link is safety.

One of the major objections to an El Toro airport is the concern over safety. One crash of a wide-bodied plane into one of the nearby communities could easily result in a casualty list in excess of that for all the fires in south and central Orange County in a decade.

With crossing flight patterns, rising terrain and the other unsafe conditions associated with the proposed airport, the county is squeezing the safety margin.

Therefore, the Irvine City Council really has little choice but to consider all avenues available to try to assure the safety of its residents, including “political extortion,” if that be the case, as labeled by Dave Ellis of the Airport Working Group.

Maybe someday the proponents of the airport will come to realize that many opponents are arguing on a higher plateau--safety--than simply profit and economics.

DAVID MELVOLD

Irvine

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Santa Clara County in Northern California, which is 10 times the economic powerhouse that Orange County is, does just fine with little old San Jose Airport.

However, North County residents apparently feel that since the air pollution, noise pollution and congestion of an airport at El Toro is far removed from their daily lives, why not stick it to South County?

Typically, one does not reward the largess of another by taking contrary positions and openly ridiculing their desires and wishes. That is what has happened, however.

If Irvine doesn’t take its money out of the pot it disproportionately contributes to, and North County disproportionately benefits from, it is a fool.

The whining coming from North County should be music to Irvine’s ears.

DON MOERY

San Clemente

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Since its inception, Irvine has willingly borne the burden of underwriting the costs connected with the Orange County Fire Authority. Fully 25% of our $19.1-million annual contribution has been to subsidize the costs to other cities, notably Tustin to the tune of $1.4 million.

Over the last six months, as news stories have told of this largess on Irvine’s part to our fellow Orange County cities, Irvine council members have received more and more calls expressing concern that we are subsidizing those who are actively seeking to destroy our city, our sense of security and our quality of life.

In response to this community concern over the perceived inequity and unfairness, the council put the topic on the agenda for discussion and to direct staff to review and bring back to council the full picture. It should be noted that Irvine residents at the meeting were justifiably concerned and supportive of the council action to examine this issue.

The only council action directed Mike Ward, working with staff, to review the Fire Authority equity study and return with the results and recommendations.

The fact is, Irvine has made no threat. At no time did the council through my action threaten North County cities to the effect that if they didn’t sign a resolution supporting us on the airport issue we would pull out of the authority. To report otherwise as fact can only be regarded as attempting to stir the pot on the part of journalists and politicians who are obviously fearful they may have to carry their own weight and wish to create controversy.

I raised the issue of “leverage” merely to heighten awareness on the part of other cities and our own residents of the huge disparity in the financial burden borne by the respective participants in the authority.

It seems only fair that, based on that fact, Irvine should be granted some “leverage” in discussions involving relationships between the various cities. I can do no less than my best to achieve a more equitable sharing of costs and recognition of our “just concerns” on this as well as other issues we have in common.

CHRISTINA SHEA

Mayor

Irvine