Wanted: Airports and Absence of Airports

* Re “Airport Debate Spreads,” (editorial, March 11):

SCAG was organized by Orange County and all the other governments of Southern California to plan and help resolve future needs of Southern California. In fact, it is just for such needs as airports, freeways and public transportation that SCAG was formed to provide balanced and objective planning for Southern California.

Somehow The Times seems to think that Orange County can be walled off from the rest of Southern California and exist as a separate country, which ignores the fact that we are a vital part of this region. In fact, our needs must be balanced with the needs of all of Southern California, and that is exactly the responsibility of SCAG.

It was formed by all the governments of Southern California to provide regional planning.

The Times should make a positive contribution as to how the future needs of Orange County fit into this region as SCAG is doing.

GORDON PATTISON

Irvine

* Re “El Toro’s Bottom Line” (editorial, March 4):

John Wayne Airport’s capacity of 14 million annual air passengers is all that Orange County needs in the coming decades of slow county growth because so many of its residents are closer to other expanding airports than they are to John Wayne and what would be El Toro.

If there had been such a high demand in Orange County, John Wayne by now should have reached its legal 8.4 [million annual air passengers] cap despite the complex seats allocation system. It is still well below.

With Orange County’s limited population growth, it is very doubtful John Wayne will even reach its actual 14 [million annual air passengers] capacity 20 years down the road and beyond. Even if ticket prices come down after the legal cap expires in 2005, people will continue using other, more convenient airports.

NICOLAS G. DZEPINA

Mission Viejo

* Guess what? The Southern California Assn. of Governments will not determine the reuse of El Toro. The Orange County Regional Airport Authority will not. The Airport Working Group will not. The city of Newport Beach will not. And, certainly, multimillionaire George Argyros will not.

The final determination will be made by those who have been systematically excluded from the highly flawed reuse planning process: the voters of Orange County in the year 2002.

As of this writing, the LAX-South idea at El Toro has exactly 360 days to live. R.I.P.

DOUGLAS C. BROWN

Aliso Viejo

* South County residents, I ask you to stop. Please stop being critical of Supervisors Jim Silva, Chuck Smith and Cynthia Coad for their commitment to proceed with El Toro airport. They are the responsible ones, and it is Todd Spitzer and Tom Wilson who should be admonished for their aggressive agenda to slow down or stop the process.

It is the board’s duty to proceed with that planning. The settlement agreement with Newport Beach mandated they find another airport site by 2005, Measure A required them to proceed with planning the new airport facility, and voters again verified their airport support by overwhelmingly passing Measure S. It just doesn’t get any more clear than that. Oh, and please don’t bring up Measure F. Get over it--the court declared it completely unconstitutional.

Now, let our county government proceed with the planning and quit harassing them. Your antagonistic agenda is costing the rest of us unnecessary time and money.

ANGELA GALLAGHER

Costa Mesa