Add Packard to ‘No on Airport’ List

Rep. Ron Packard on Tuesday joined Rep. Christopher Cox in announcing his opposition to the El Toro airport and signing the Safe & Healthy Communities Initiative.

The ballot proposal, if passed, would require two-thirds voter approval for new or expanded airports, jails and hazardous-waste landfills. The measure already has more than the 71,000 signatures needed to qualify for the March ballot.

Packard (R-Oceanside) said the region is in need of transportation solutions, but that “El Toro is not the answer.”

The congressman, a member of the House subcommittee that oversees federal transportation spending, said he’s opposed to the airport proposal because it would not dramatically improve the quality of life in South County and “could jeopardize the safety of thousands of residents.”

“I respect the challenges faced by our county supervisors and other local officials,” said Packard, whose district in

cludes south Orange County and north San Diego County. “But I have serious concerns regarding a planning process which has virtually silenced the voices of those most impacted by El Toro.”

He added that no governmental entity should accept any transfer of base property before the U.S. Department of Defense completes a full environmental cleanup. The Board of Supervisors will vote on a final project in December, about the time environmental studies should be completed. The county expects to receive a deed to the El Toro base next year.

Cox (R-Newport Beach) last month said he supported the ballot initiative and suggested he would use his clout in Washington to block the airport proposal. The congressman is the fifth-ranking Republican in the House.

Cox pledged to work with the House and Senate armed services committees to ensure that South County communities get heard before the Department of the Navy deeds the property to the county.

Airport opponents welcomed Packard’s announcement as another influential voice in their campaign.

“This El Toro thing is not just being flushed out in Southern California but also in Washington, and now you got Cox and Packard, which is a boost in the arm at the federal level,” said Meg Waters, a spokeswoman for a coalition of anti-airport cities.

South County residents have complained that they have been excluded from the El Toro planning process even though their communities would be severely impacted by the proposed airport, she said.

Federal law requires that affected communities be included in decisions involving closed bases. The Board of Supervisors, which has authority over El Toro reuse, supports the new airport by a 3-2 majority. The two supervisors representing South County oppose it.

An airport supporter downplayed the significance of Packard’s action.

“It’s really no change in his position,” said Tom Edwards, former Newport Beach mayor and airport activist. “In fact, I’ve been in Washington where his staff has sat down and told me he’s against the airport.”

Edwards described the announcement as part of a well-orchestrated campaign by airport opponents.

“With regards to Packard, you have to remember where his district is,” Edwards said.

Edwards noted that two other Orange County congressmen, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) have come out in support of an airport at El Toro.