The El Toro Debate: Trees or Tarmac for the Former Marine Base?

Re “A Giant El Toro Park, the Will of the People,” Orange County Commentary, May 6:

Is Larry Agran crazy? Does he think Orange County voters will encumber themselves once they find out how much it will cost for them to finance the hundreds of millions of dollars--tearing up a fine airfield and building a park from scratch--for a facility to be used mainly for the city of Irvine?

Absolutely not, especially when they can have a much-needed airport that will make money, create fine jobs and relieve us from drowning in our need for more air carrier space. The space is now available.

Ken Kvammen

Newport Beach

The questions in the recent Chapman Poll concerning El Toro tell us several important things. First is that a large majority of citizens are opposed to the building of a commercial airport at the base and instead would prefer to build a cultural and recreational oasis that would enhance the quality of life for all county residents for generations to come.

Second, taxpayers have little faith that their county government will be responsive to their wishes. Historically, in a 3-2 split, the Board of Supervisors has shown that they have become merely advocates for their own personal agendas and not advocates for the taxpayers they are supposed to represent. This was evident in the tobacco fund initiative results. This was evident in the Measure F initiative results (over which our Board of Supervisors chose to sue the taxpayers they represent).

Again they choose to ignore the citizenry and continue to spend a seemingly endless amount of money promoting a project that they favor, and few else do. In March, voters will have the power to force the board to finally give up the ghost on their ill-conceived airport plan, and move on to a reuse that will be a benefit to all of our health and well-being.

Richard W. Lubline

Aliso Viejo

The city of Irvine and South County have plans for a great central park for El Toro. Sounds like a great idea, like a Garden of Eden growing up next door. Let’s go for it.

The county of Orange is calling for an airport with air, noise, light, ground, water and all other pollution and the traffic that goes with it. Sounds like hell itself in the center of Orange County. If we need a second airport, let us go where it is needed most. Let us install a second or third level above the Disneyland parking lot.

Milda E. Borbals

Laguna Woods

I think the county should in all fairness run ads showing that they have no problem with shaving years off seniors’ lives by cramming a massive, polluting airport into the middle of established communities. A judge ordered the county to go back and tell the truth (in its EIR) about the incredible air pollution that an airport would generate. Supervisors Chuck Smith, Cynthia P. Coad, and Jim Silva should be ashamed. I heard Smith on the televised board meeting recently saying that an airport at El Toro was the right project in the right place. If we told Smith that we had to shave a couple of years off his life for an airport in Westminster, I wonder how he’d feel about it?

Mike Baron

Aliso Viejo

Let’s face it, the only county government activity that people don’t oppose being located in their backyard is a park. The people of Orange County--including Irvine--made a commitment to Newport Beach to build an alternative airport as a condition for expanding John Wayne. If El Toro isn’t going to be used for an airport, the county should sell the land to fund a high-speed land connection to another airport.

Neil Woodall

Newport Beach

Re “Park Backers Take Initiative,” April 30:

When the Newport Beach “quasi elite” and their puppet county supervisors state we need two airports to support the growth of Orange County--and the two airports in close proximity do not pose a hazard--it disguises their real intent.

If an El Toro airport becomes reality, the supervisors will disclose, to their “surprise,” that the two airports present a hazard and they will strongly recommend the closure of John Wayne Airport.

The millions of dollars spent on an El Toro airport will not give us an additional airport. Instead, it will be an exorbitant expenditure to simply move John Wayne to South County and relieve Newport Beach of its airport nuisance.

John Wayne Airport is capable of growth and, with innovative planning, can satisfy future airport needs of Orange County. The deleterious effects of an El Toro airport will not be confined to South County. In fact, the noise will be detrimental to many North County residents, including those in Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Tustin and many other cities.

Earl See

Lake Forest

The anti-airport factions boast that the will of the people is sacred and must be honored by the Board of Supervisors. I fully agree this is the proper course of action that should proceed without delay.

Measure A, which allowed conversion of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to a commercial airport, was passed in 1994 by a majority of voters in Orange County. In 1996, Measure S failed to overturn Measure A. Measure F’s provisions in 2000 was not a vote for or against an airport.

Anyone who doubts this statement is invited to carefully read the language in the ballot measure. In any case, Measure F was declared unconstitutional by a court of law. Therefore, the legal results of Measure A as voted by the citizens of Orange County still stands as the expressed will of the people for a commercial airport at El Toro.

Roger Garcia

Laguna Hills

I believe that the Great Park will greatly increase the standard of living in Orange County. Having such a wonderful cultural and recreational center nearby will help to increase real estate property values, instead of ruining property values like the proposed El Toro Airport would.

The Great Park is also convenient. Instead of driving several hours to visit Los Angeles’ Griffith Park or San Diego’s Balboa Park, we would have an extensive park nearby that is an average of 15 minutes away from any part of Orange County. Great Parks have already been built in many large cities around the world, such as Central Park in New York City. By building our own Great Park, Orange County would be recognized among these prestigious cities that have already built Great Parks.

Also, as a teenager in Orange County, I think that we need the Great Park as a fun place for teenagers to go. Right now, teenagers have few places to go on weekends. Most of these places are simply shopping or commercial centers, such as the Irvine Spectrum or the Block at Orange. The Great Park offers teenagers a unique chance to visit museums, botanical gardens, sports facilities, a large central library and various other recreational facilities.

This opportunity to build one of the world’s greatest parks is simply too good to miss. I hope that every resident of Orange County decides to openly support the Great Park plan at El Toro.

Stephanie Debats

Irvine