Airport Plan Gets Hostile Reception

Orange County’s El Toro publicity team ventured behind enemy lines Wednesday night to face an estimated 1,500 people--some hostile--for the second of nine public forums on the county’s plans to build an airport at the closed Marine base.

The forum was the first to be held in south Orange County, which solidly opposes the proposed airport. It was the only opportunity for residents to be heard on El Toro’s fate before a public hearing on the airport in Santa Ana next month.

Anti-airport Supervisor Tom Wilson, who hosted the meeting with like-minded colleague Supervisor Todd Spitzer, immediately set the tone by questioning past statements of the county’s experts on traffic, air pollution, safety and noise from the proposed airport.

“If they lived in our homes, would they be satisfied with the information they’re giving us tonight?” Wilson asked to hearty applause from a nearly full hall at Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest.

A final vote on the airport is scheduled for Sept. 17. The Department of the Navy is expected to certify its own environmental review after that, a step required for the property to be turned over to the county. The board has backed plans for an airport on 3-2 votes for the last five years.

Resentment against supervisors and the airport peaked this month when a Superior Court judge threw out petitions to place an anti-airport measure on the March ballot, ruling that the title and summary of the petition were faulty and misleading. The proposed Orange County Central Park and Nature Preserve Initiative would replace airport zoning on the 4,700-acre base with a nature preserve, a large urban park and “compatible” development.

If Judge James P. Gray’s ruling stands, it would invalidate more than 140,000 signatures that organizers said they have collected to comply with a Sept. 18 submission deadline. Airport opponents have challenged Gray’s ruling before the 4th District Court of Appeal, but supervisors voted Tuesday against joining the appeal.

Wednesday evening’s first question was from a woman who wanted to know where each of the county consultants live. El Toro program manager Gary Simon declined to be specific, saying only that most of them live in Orange County.

Many questions dealt with the possible erosion of the quality of life of south Orange County residents if an airport were built at El Toro. Several of the county’s experts attempted to answer questions about the technical aspects of the airport. That didn’t quiet the crowd, which countered most answers with loud boos and hisses.

“The [environmental impact report] didn’t look specifically at quality of life,” Simon said. The crowd erupted in a standing ovation.

Simon’s team wasn’t the only road show to hit Lake Forest Wednesday night.

Two busloads of homeowners who live near Los Angeles International Airport also came to the hearing, walking into the church wearing T-shirts emblazoned with “El Toro Yes.” The group, called LAX Expansion No, supports building an airport at El Toro to relieve pressure on LAX to expand.

The Los Angeles group quickly entered the church and took seats as hundreds of anti-airport activists shouted at the rally outside.

L.A. group spokesman Mike Stevens, frustrated at not being able to ask more than one question, held a Bible in his hand and said, “Where in this good book does it say that I’m supposed to carry your burdens?”

Another member of the homeowners group, Anthony Bryant of Los Angeles, said he lives under the LAX flight path and his house shakes every 15 seconds when planes fly over. There’s no reason he should suffer any more, he said.

“We’ve already got enough,” Bryant said. “We don’t need more air traffic and pollution and toxins.”

Bryant and his fellow homeowners received little sympathy.