Airport Poll Finds More Foes Than Funds

The city of Irvine, a South County leader in spending money to attack a proposed international airport at El Toro Marine base, has found in a recent poll that its residents and neighbors aren’t eager to open their own wallets to stop it.

The poll, completed in April and released Friday after a request by the Times Orange County, found that just 45% of those surveyed in Irvine, Mission Viejo and other communities near the base favor increasing taxes to buy the 4,700-acre Marine base for non-airport uses.

That is far short of the two-thirds vote required for approval of any tax increase or general obligation bond measure.

About a third of the 2,043 residents surveyed said they oppose any increased tax or fee, with 21% undecided.

City officials admitted that the results of the $55,000 poll, conducted by Probolsky & Associates in Irvine, were underwhelming.

“The bottom line is, we’re not pursuing it,” Councilman Dave Christensen said of the base’s purchase.

Other responses were equally grim. The survey showed, for example, that 42% of South County residents are unaware of the Millennium Plan, a city-led alternative plan for the base, despite a $1 million promotional blitz last year.

The city, meantime, tabled another plan this week that it advocated to stop El Toro.

The council, with Councilman Greg Smith absent, decided to delay an application for annexing the base. Council members instead directed staffers to return this winter with a revised development plan for the base that includes less building and more parkland.

The Marine Corps leaves the base on July 2. In December, the county Board of Supervisors is expected to give final approval for an airport serving up to 28.8 million passengers a year in 2020.

Both the base purchase and annexation were acknowledged longshots in the city’s fight against the airport plans. The federal government hasn’t indicated any intention of selling the base, and the city could annex the land only if the county agreed.

Still, the odds didn’t stop the city from spending money to explore the options. In addition to paying for the poll, the city spent $25,000 to prepare the annexation application.

City officials have defended spending tax dollars to fight the county’s airport plans, including an unsuccessful bid to persuade a judge to stop demonstration flights by commercial jets the first week of this month.

Earlier this year, the Irvine council set aside $2 million for special anti-El Toro projects, and pledged to spend more of a $17 million budget surplus if necessary.

“Our residents want us to do everything we can to stop this airport,” Councilman Larry Agran said of the money spent on court fights.

Christensen said the council made a prudent decision to rework its annexation request after legal advice indicated its environmental report could have been challenged. He said the city has an obligation to fight the airport, but also to spend its money wisely.

“I want to fight a good clean fight on the airport, and I wish the county would do the same,” he said. “I don’t want to fight at all costs and throw everything out there and hope something sticks.”

Residents responding to the city’s survey continued to voice strong opposition to the airport, with 73% saying they don’t want it built. Noise was most often given as the reason why, while those supporting it said it would make travel easier and help the economy overall.

When asked what would boost support for the non-aviation Millennium Plan, residents responded favorably to more parks, jobs and a cultural center.

But residents gave thumbs down to a football stadium proposed last year by Irvine Mayor Christina Shea, with 49% saying the stadium would make them more inclined to reject an alternative plan.

“Sounds like Shea Stadium wasn’t very popular,” quipped David Ellis, a consultant for the Airport Working Group, which supports an airport at El Toro.

Irvine officials, allied with leaders from other South County cities, have offered the Millennium Plan as an alternative to development of an airport. That plan calls for a 360-acre park surrounded by a habitat preserve, an arts and cultural center, an education and technology district and a sports and entertainment complex.

At this week’s meeting, council members directed staff to enlarge the park to 1,800 acres and reduce the size of development. The city had estimated that the more-dense Millennium Plan could bring the city as much as $5 million in annual revenue by 2020.

Irvine and other South County cities continue to pin their hopes on an initiative that would require a two-thirds countywide vote before the county could build a new or expanded airport, hazardous-waste landfill or jail.

At least 71,000 signatures of registered voters must be collected by the end of August to place the measure on the March 2000 ballot.