El Toro and Its Alternatives

* Two recent letters from South County residents indicated that the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative was not only a way to eliminate El Toro airport for South County residents but would also help Newport Beach residents by stopping expansion of John Wayne Airport.

What the writers do not understand is that if Orange County votes for that initiative, which could prohibit building El Toro or expanding John Wayne, it also must be prepared for an eventual decline in our economy, higher air travel prices and lost business and jobs.

Without sufficient air transportation, our county will be bypassed like a once thriving town that lost its appeal once the new freeway bypassed them.

Businesses will relocate near efficient transportation sources and our good jobs will go with them, as will our property values.

Then when the small John Wayne is the only airport in our county, supply and demand for the few available seats will cause ticket prices to soar even beyond their current inflated price.

And since we will be forced to compete with the entire region for the passenger seats in demand at John Wayne and Ontario airport, even those ticket prices will doubtlessly reflect a very substantial increased cost.

If passed, the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative will eventually become known as the Stupid and Costly Community initiative.

C. SELTZER

Orange

* It’s nice to see that the supervisors in favor of an El Toro airport are bilingual. At least, they are speaking out of both sides of their mouths.

They tell South County residents that we must have El Toro since John Wayne can’t be expanded. Then they tell Anaheim Hills that unless El Toro is built, John Wayne will be expanded.

They tell South County that El Toro will be a good neighbor. Then they tell Anaheim Hills that if El Toro isn’t built John Wayne must expand to about one-half the size of El Toro, ruining their lives.

They tell South County that the Millennium Plan’s 6,000 new homes will increase noise, pollution and traffic but that 22 million new passengers, their planes, workers and supply trucks won’t.

They say that the voters have spoken twice, so South County should “just get over it.” But as it becomes obvious that the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative will pass by a wide margin, they say they will fight it in court.

Maybe they’re not bilingual; maybe they think both North and South County residents are just stupid. It’s one or the other.

RONALD O. DAVIES

Laguna Hills

* Several letter writers have expressed curiosity why neighbors of John Wayne airport do not support the so-called Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative that calls for a super-majority county-wide vote before building or expanding certain facilities.

Perhaps because the neighbors of John Wayne Airport understand that the initiative backers have no intention of using the initiative to stop expansion of John Wayne Airport.

Early in the initiative process, several opponents of the El Toro commercial airport and supporters of an expanded John Wayne Airport asserted that the initiative would not stop expansion of the current airport.

They pointed out that few enough people considered themselves directly affected by current flight activities that the expansion supporters could still get the super-majority countywide vote.

If the current initiative pushers were serious about not expanding John Wayne Airport, they would present a feasible alternative to meet local air travel demand.

Until that happens, neighbors of John Wayne Airport have to assume that opponents of an airport at El Toro will push for expansion of John Wayne, Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative notwithstanding.

DAVID J. ARTHUR

Costa Mesa

* Thank you for your continuing coverage of the El Toro issue.

I was disturbed by the comments of Larry Root in his Aug. 22 letter. Some of these comments are typical of the partial truths and misinformation being quoted from both sides of the debate.

Studies do not show that Orange County air traffic will double by 2020. Southern California Assn. of Government reports show that demand will double in the region: Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.

You cannot infer that specific localities grow in proportion.

SCAG also reports that Orange County population will grow by only 25%, compared with over 90% in Riverside and San Bernardino. This is the demand catalyst.

Root also states that South County wants to expand John Wayne. However, the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative provides the same control to John Wayne expansion as it does to El Toro construction.

Finally, he states he does not expect residents near El Toro to endure flights 24 hours a day. However, Supervisor Charles V. Smith has been quoted as saying there will be no restrictions on El Toro. Couple this with federal law against restrictive airports and this becomes another round of incomplete information.

R. LEWIS

Aliso Viejo