Debating Merits of an El Toro Airport

I have lived in Newport Beach’s Corona del Mar area for many years. I witnessed the expansion of John Wayne Airport firsthand.

I traveled in and out of the airport during construction. (Not too bad.) I traveled the roads being retrofitted to meet the increased airport traffic. (Again, not too bad.)

The area that encompasses the airport is a beautiful part of Orange County, as is John Wayne Airport itself. Now is the time for our neighbors to the south to wake up to the wonderful opportunity of having an international airport situated perfectly between Los Angeles International Airport and San Diego.

Runways already are in place, tons of surplus land, no more driving to L.A. for an international flight, cargo and business opportunities galore, and greatest of all, the airport that a rapidly growing Orange County desperately needs.

I am blown away by the amount of column space being given to the minority that thinks an airport would destroy their perfect quality of life.

Having an airport 10 minutes from my house is great. Having an international airport 20 minutes from my house is a dream.

JEFF SMART

Newport Beach

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The League of Women Voters of Orange County, while objecting to the two-thirds vote requirements of the Safe and Healthy Communities initiative, has never dismissed the anti-airport arguments as NIMBYism, as letter writer Norm Ewers implies (Dec. 2).

In the debate over the future of El Toro, there are legitimate arguments on both sides. As an organization, we can take no position on El Toro because the league has not had the resources to do the independent study which might have enabled our members to reach a consensus.

What members throughout Orange County and the entire state of California have studied and reviewed often and as recently as 1999 is the initiative process.

We believe that no initiative should require more than a majority for approval. If, however, any initiative required a supermajority vote for future related issues (as the Safe and Healthy Communities initiative does), then we believe that initiative should itself be required to receive the same supermajority.

Think about it. A two-thirds vote requirement is a system of weighted voting in which every “no” vote counts twice, while a “yes” vote counts only once. Not exactly your “one person, one vote” principle.

JEAN ASKHAM

President

League of Women Voters

of Orange County

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You made several interesting observations in your Dec. 5 editorial “Irvine’s El Toro Gambit,” regarding recent statements by Irvine City Council people.

I too have serious concerns about Irvine’s rezoning land adjacent to the El Toro Marine base property and putting new homes in that previously restricted area.

I also object to repeated suggestions by Irvine Councilman Larry Agran that the number of flights at John Wayne Airport would be increased.

Both are attempts to keep El Toro airport from becoming a reality, which is their stated goal, but the Irvine council members are being hypocritical.

How can they profess on one hand to be concerned with El Toro’s effect on people and at the same time promote plans that could seriously impact others?

ANGELA GALLAGHER

Costa Mesa

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It seems that the Orange County Board of Supervisors is establishing some kind of pattern in decisions related to thwarting those living closest to an El Toro international airport.

Now the supervisors are ignoring the preference of nearly all Orange County voters by using the $30 million of bonus tobacco money each year to pay for prisons and county debt, rather than for public health.

The populace of both Iraq and Yugoslavia should be warned to stay out of Orange County when immigrating to America, or find that their new leaders, the Orange County supervisors, are no better than Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic.

With the board’s record of ignoring public opinion and going their own way, Orange County voters can protect themselves from this dictatorial group by voting for the Safe and Healthy Communities initiative in March.

This will keep toxic waste dumps, prisons and airports a reasonable distance from our homes.

RICHARD MacNAIR

Monarch Beach

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North and south Orange County apparently are evenly divided over converting El Toro to an international airport.

The north wants it--so by eminent domain, let’s condemn the required acreage and build the airport in the North County.

The south doesn’t want it, so convert the El Toro acreage for use commercially, residentially and for recreation. Float bonds to finance the buyouts in the north and to build an airport to satisfy all safety and environmental considerations.

Let tax revenues from the new airport and from the El Toro redevelopment pay for all this. During the years to accomplish these projects, let the military clean up their contamination at El Toro.

TED GARON

Mission Viejo