Give and Take on El Toro International
* Re “Airport Backers Float Their Own Ballot Measures,” Oct. 27:
I wonder if Los Alamitos Councilman Ronald Bates would feel so strongly that a second airport is needed in Orange County if that airport were being planned for the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station around the corner from his home.
Just two weeks ago, The Times printed an article stating that people were happier in suburban communities. Yes, we are. We moved away from the urban blight, noise, pollution, crowding and, yes, airports.
I would drive two hours or more to an airport if I had to, and so would most people I know.
TERRIE McKINLEY
Aliso Viejo
* How’s this for a ballot initiative? All developers must live within the affected area of their proposed development.
Goodbye, George Argyros. Goodbye, El Toro airport. Goodbye, Foothill South toll road.
Hello, supervisors truly interested in the welfare of those they are elected to serve.
KURT PAGE
Laguna Niguel
* The Oct. 24 Letters to the Editor were intriguing because one page was devoted to the Foothill toll road while the other was devoted to the El Toro airport.
It is unmistakable, a classic debate between growth and no growth. Yet, what is bizarre about this debate is that the same officials are debating each side.
To illustrate, these leaders are the elected representatives to their respective city councils or to the Board of Supervisors. In that capacity, these officials approve development.
Next, through the formation of a joint-powers authority, these same leaders govern the Foothill Transportation Corridor Agency and build roads to facilitate more development.
Again, as another joint-powers authority, the El Toro Regional Planning Authority, they oppose an El Toro airport and deny the need to expand local air transportation facilities.
With these officials occupying three political posts concurrently, our normal democratic safeguard of checks and balances is breached. This breach manifests itself in the form of a circular argument with the same officials supporting the development of the toll road but opposing the airport.
Consequently, the taxpayer, the environment and our communities suffer from their circular argument of growth and no growth.
STEVE HAUBERT
San Clemente
* Abraham Lincoln said it best: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Through their arrogant disregard for the welfare of a major portion of their constituency and their refusal to engage in any kind of meaningful consensus-building on the El Toro issue, the Orange County supervisors have managed to create nothing but waste, strife and governmental paralysis.
The supervisors have failed utterly in their responsibility to provide positive, progressive leadership. Their legacy will not be an international airport at El Toro; it will be the balkanization of Orange County.
CHRIS MARSH
Aliso Viejo
* John Wayne Airport already has the capacity to serve 15 million passengers a year. Why waste money building an airport at El Toro and then watch John Wayne sit and collect dust?
Cleverly shifting the market to El Toro because Newport Beach doesn’t want the airport there is not sound economic policy.
Just think of all that money the county will be saving by not having to fight this in court for the next 20 years, not to mention all of the numerous and costly pro-airport commercials we’ve been viewing.
DENNIS BALDWIN
Laguna Niguel
* Just when I thought I had seen every unethical, bungling act I could from our county government, they pull out yet another.
After continuously failing to make any headway or gain any consensus publicly on the proposed El Toro airport, they have decided that they aren’t proficient enough for the task and must align with North County cities to get their new playground in place.
The recent UC Irvine poll found that 46% of Orange County residents oppose El Toro, 42% are in favor and 12% are undecided. This is hardly a mandate from the people to funnel our county funds into the Orange County Regional Airport Authority.
Supervisors Charles V. Smith and Jim Silva say that cities should have more say in plans for construction of a commercial airport at El Toro. I think they clarify which cities.
They circumvented the Base Reuse Act by leaving the closest, most affected cities out of the local reuse authority, and now they want the cities farthest away to have a greater say.
JOHN BERRY
Aliso Viejo
* Why is it that we in Orange County do not know the plans of the major air carriers with regard to their operation in John Wayne and the proposed El Toro airports?
I have read that one major carrier said it would not operate two installations within seven miles of each other. If that were the case for all carriers, if the El Toro airport was approved they would essentially close down John Wayne to commercial traffic.
I would like to see a survey of the major carriers to see what their position is in this regard. I think our Board of Supervisors could be in a position to make this survey and so inform the residents of Orange County.
ROGER WIBE
Mission Viejo
* In response to C. Flynt and the hundreds of other Newport Beach letter writers who continue to bombard The Times with demands that a huge, 24-hour, international, commercial and cargo airport be built at El Toro, the issue is not daytime noise (Letters, Oct. 24).
The issue is night flights and sleep deprivation.
John Wayne has no night flights. The Marines did not fly at night. By passing the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative in March, Newport Beach residents can protect themselves from any expansion of the present air traffic at John Wayne and avoid the horror of all-night flights.
South County and Newport Beach residents have a common goal: no sleep deprivation from commercial flights at night. All county residents should support the initiative, which requires a two-thirds vote countywide to develop a new commercial airport or expand an existing airport.
DAVE BLODGETT
Laguna Woods
