War of Words Continues Over El Toro’s Future

I have watched John Wayne Airport grow from a shack in an open field since 1966. It was a private-plane airport and is still an airport for private planes in addition to commercial flights.

As a compromise, how about using a portion of the El Toro site for private planes only, and moving that portion of traffic away from John Wayne? That will allow John Wayne to grow to accommodate more commercial aircraft if needed and still allow the El Toro site to accommodate recreational, commercial and housing growth that would be good for South County.

Craig Neslage

Costa Mesa

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Re “Airport Planners Meet the People at Forum,” Aug. 10:

Rude and rowdy best describes the anti-airport group that disrupted the county’s community meeting in Anaheim. They came in droves from their expensive manicured homes in South County cities to convince any undecided people in the audience that an airport at El Toro is a bad idea.

They would like us to buy into their “Great Park” plan, but the price tag is way too high. Why should Anaheim residents, or any North or Central County citizens, forfeit their own hard-earned money to buy a big park for South County residents to use?

I resent their tactics, and there is no way I will vote for the self-serving initiative they plan to put on the ballot.

Since they have their minds made up on the issue, I hope they will stay home and let others hear the facts so they have the opportunity to make up their own minds.

M.A. Olson

Anaheim

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A cynic once said that truth is such a precious commodity it must be doled out only in small portions.

This seems to be the operating credo of the Airport Working Group and its current taxpayer-funded effort to “educate” the public about El Toro. To date, they have issued four mailers: two attacking the “Great Park” and two trying to frighten people with an expanded John Wayne Airport. None of them has educated us about the (apparently elusive) benefits of an airport at El Toro.

The latest mailer, however, has crossed the line. It depicts a ludicrous and impractical expansion of John Wayne Airport, complete with bulldozed homes, businesses and schools. In large letters across the top, it is labeled as “South County’s” plan to expand John Wayne.

In fact, as the small print notes, the plan (Alternative G) comes from the county’s environmental impact report and has always been vociferously opposed by South County and the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority. Several years ago, Supervisor Tom Wilson, at the urging of the authority, tried to have Alternative G removed from the report.

He recognized that the plan was unworkable and that it would only serve to needlessly alarm people. The Airport Working Group, the city of Newport Beach and the pro-airport supervisors insisted that it stay in, precisely because of its value as propaganda.

Arnold Burke

Lake Forest

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After many years of debate as to whether we should build an airport at the former El Toro base, there are unanswered questions, but one issue seems very clear. A county the size of Orange needs a larger airport.

There is a lot of talk about using other airports, but the closest of those choices is about an hour from central Orange County. Even if you put aside the inconvenience, one cannot deny it puts a huge amount of excess traffic on our already crowded freeways.

We are always looking for ways to reduce traffic problems. Eliminating an estimated 15 million trips to and from LAX and Ontario airports could be a good start.

I say build El Toro airport so that my morning drive to work will not include being stuck in freeway jams and inhaling fumes my lungs don’t need. I can cope far better with intermittent airplanes way over my head than the increased car and truck traffic.

Ed Banuelos

Santa Ana

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Just when Orange County citizens think they have seen everything that can be done to build an unwanted international airport at El Toro, the county and its special-interest airport supporters strike again.

The anti-airport groups come up with an idea that would actually give the voters a choice of an airport or something else. And the county attorneys mess up the work of creating the initiative petitions as prescribed by state law. The pro-airport groups then file suit to reject those petitions.

I feel as if my freedoms, as given by the Constitution, have been denied me by the very people who are supposed to protect them.

Tom Buick

Mission Viejo

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The county has crossed the line. There is no doubt that the pro-airport county has conspired with their pro-airport supporters to write a summary and title for the El Toro park initiative that would not stand up in court.

They first tried to derail the initiative by “misplacing” a map that was sent in with a previous initiative. Those signed petitions were thrown out, but the park supporters came back and collected more than the required number of signatures on the corrected initiative.

Now those have been disqualified because of the county counsel’s summary and title. Coincidence? Not a chance.

The county knows it cannot win the airport vs. park argument with its “Just the Facts” campaign. No matter how often they say the air quality will improve with 747s flying overhead, we’re just not going to believe it.

Gail Brunell

Laguna Niguel

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I was waiting to pick up my wife and grandson at the Irvine train terminal. Standing on the second-story steel overpass, I had a good overview of the defunct air facility.

The place is huge. If one would take a template of John Wayne Airport and lay it over one end of the runway I am certain it would hardly be noticed.

I own my own airplane and have many times flown in and out of John Wayne and over El Toro. I certainly couldn’t see housing within any close distance of the entire property. It’s all commercial in all directions. If the commercial airliners can’t make it over the puny hills at the end of the runways, they should all be retired from service.

As far as making a “Great Park” out of the whole thing, I don’t think all of Home Depot’s facilities could furnish enough sod to cover the place in the next 20 years. And who will pay to maintain this fantasy park?

LAX is a mess and is only going to get worse. John Wayne can’t take a whole lot more.

So why not do the sensible thing and cut out all the hysteria surrounding the greatest opportunity that has come up and will ever come up to enlarge our airport system in the L.A. Basin?

This is just too good a chance to pass up.

Albert Neal

Huntington Beach

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Re “Plan Would Ease Noise in Cities Northwest of El Toro,” July 15: As an airline captain with more than 25 years’ experience, I get more enraged every time I read another article exhibiting the lack of safety considerations in the planning of El Toro airport.

The article concerning right turns after departures to the northwest on Runway 34 is a prime example.

In an effort to appease, or rather deceive, the residents of Tustin, Villa Park, Orange, Santa Ana and other north Orange County cities, the airport planners are promising right turns toward the highest points of the Santa Ana Mountains. This plan exhibits the highest disregard for safety and will not be followed by any airline captain with regard for the safety of his flight.

I am suspicious of Gary Simon’s words when he claims that right turns will be made “whenever possible.” In reality, the only time these right turns will be possible is when safety is compromised.

The residents of these north Orange County cities would be naive to believe that they will not hear the roar of jet engines over their houses.

The planners of El Toro airport still refuse to consult with airline pilots, air traffic controllers and airlines to create a plan for maximizing the safety and efficiency of this airport. Instead, they choose to bully through their politically motivated planning process, hoping it will satisfy the “minimum” requirements for Federal Aviation Administration approval.

These county supervisors and airport planners are approaching safety as a black or white issue, either safe or unsafe. This is a very unwise perspective. The airport should be planned with “maximum” safety considerations. This allows for a margin of error for pilots having to deal with marginal weather or mechanical problems.

George Serniak

Monarch Beach

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Re “More Volleys in the Airport vs. Park Campaign,” July 22:

It seems that we should not mind pausing on the telephone or missing the punch line on a TV show from jet noise as the letter writer who referred to growing up in Queens, N.Y., did.

Perhaps his parents would have loved a home in another location. As a kid we accept what we can’t do anything about.

People moved to Orange County to avoid living under an international airport flight path. If you want to weigh jobs against noise pollution, unhealthful air quality and traffic congestion that can’t be mitigated; increased risk of asthma, cancer and other health problems; decreased home values; and the reason you live and work where you do, then I suggest moving back to Queens or adjacent to LAX.

Give me the jobs of a park, recreational facilities, and library and university.

Mary Schwartz

Santa Ana