Controversy Is Airborne Once Again Over El Toro

Re “2 Supervisors Propose a Fifth Ballot Measure on El Toro Planning,” Aug. 1:

At this point, it comes as no surprise that supervisors Cynthia P. Coad and Chuck Smith are still not convinced that the El Toro International Airport idea is a bad idea and dead. After literally having wasted millions of our tax dollars and displaying wanton disrespect for the residents of Orange County, they supposedly wish that we, the voters, should actually have a say in what goes on in Orange County. We are not fooled.

Their shameless arrogance and self-importance have no boundaries. The Irvine plan, which substantially satisfies the mandate of Measure W, is a wonderful solution for all of the residents of Orange County. Further, the demonstrated planning genius of Irvine is widely recognized. To Coad and Smith, we, the citizens of Orange County, say let’s move on and stop boring us with your meaningless, self-serving and costly drivel.

Hans J. Roehricht

Lake Forest

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Many people are tired of the El Toro debate and just want it to go away, including yours truly. But the underlying problem is that airport demand will just not go away. It would sure be a fantastic world if we could indefinitely keep the status quo of flights at Long Beach and John Wayne airports. The catch is that the airline industry and the Federal Aviation Administration will just not stand for it and will sue.

Look at what’s happening. American Airlines has threatened to sue for more slots at Long Beach if they are not granted by January 2003. Last time there was a lawsuit (Alaska Airlines vs. city of Long Beach), the flight caps increased from to 15 to 41 a day, or 173%. In addition, there are two east-west runways that point at Cerritos and Orange avenues. This would affect Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim and Buena Park. As one can see, Long Beach is not just a Los Angeles County issue.

A little farther down the road is John Wayne Airport. Without a reliever airport, doomsday will hit in 2006. No more caps, no more curfews and no more noise-abatement procedures.

Let’s compare John Wayne to El Toro. For starters, John Wayne has no fuel pipeline. Hundreds of fuel trucks will clog the freeways. The San Diego, Costa Mesa and Corona del Mar freeways feed into John Wayne. At El Toro, there are the San Diego and Laguna freeways, Foothill toll road and Interstate 5, with more lanes and a train station.

At El Toro, there are no homes within two miles, and flights could be routed over open spaces.

Which brings me to my next point. Please consider the V Plan. The current airport plan of approaches from the south and eastern takeoffs only gives South County justification to spend millions and fight back.

I have to be totally honest. If I lived somewhere like Aliso Viejo, I’d fight it too.

When the jets are out of sight, out of mind, then people will be happy. Also, the V-Plan has the blessing of the pilots unions.

This can be a win-win for all. No more hassle with LAX, no trips to Inland Empire airports. And best of all, nobody in the county has to get hurt and lose a home. If our county chooses to hit the snooze button now, we will have a rude wake-up call in 2006 or sooner. The locals had better have a solution, or Washington, D.C., will have one, and it won’t be pretty.

Rex Ricks

Huntington Beach

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Yet another attempt by pro-airport county supervisors to test the will of the people.

After eight years of acrimony and more than $50 million of county tax dollars wasted promoting an airport, the voters have been heard loud and clear by the Navy. No airport at El Toro.

Measure W comes along and Irvine comes up with a mutually acceptable plan that satisfies the Navy and the voters. Yet, two disgruntled supervisors, Smith and Coad, push to have another vote, claiming Irvine has too much control over county property.

Derek Quinn

Laguna Niguel

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After reading the Letters to the Editor in Sunday’s Times, it appears that the “Great Park” supporters continue to deal in innuendo and half-truths.

For example, M. Smith writes that airport supporters “want to triple Orange County air travel,” a curious statement since the demand for air travel is coming from continued population expansion in South County.

I suppose that the increase in air travel from the thousands of homes to be built where the Great Park was to have been will be due to airport supporters.

What happens when Rancho Mission Viejo builds thousands of homes on its 12,000 acres? Guess what will happen when the developers start in on the airport buffer zone and proceed to build high-density housing as they have been doing in Irvine?

D. Blodgett claims that 600,000 residents of Orange County (read South County) would have their quality of life destroyed by an airport at El Toro.

He conveniently ignores the other 2.3 million residents of Orange County who will be seriously affected if Orange County will not pick up its fair share of air travel. Increased traffic will cause noise, pollution and more time on the road.

Like it or not, Orange County is part of Southern California, including cities from San Diego to Santa Barbara, all of which require air transportation. An air system is integral and vital to compete with rest of the world.

It would be lovely if we could shut out the rest of the world and bask in the quiet serenity of this bucolic land. Unfortunately, we are at the center of a rapidly growing population.

The builders and developers have great plans for filling up South County with as many profitable houses and commercial developments as they can. Keeping the large open spaces of El Toro, even with an airport, would be less disruptive of community living than the planned development.

It is about time citizens take control of the development activity to manage growth rather than stop it.

William Kearns

Costa Mesa

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Supervisor Smith is truly a political dinosaur. In his latest attack of “concern for the voters,” Smith proposed yet another election on El Toro, this time to see if county residents want to approve the Navy-Irvine development plan. Mr. Smith, this sounds exactly like the ballot-box planning imposed by Measure F and so bitterly opposed by the pro-airport troika. Having completely ignored the voters for the last eight years, why the sudden concern?

I have one simple question for Smith and his cohorts: El Toro is still unincorporated land and Measure W is county law.

If Smith is so concerned about protecting the voters, where is the county’s plan for the Great Park? It’s apparently as nonexistent as the credibility of the Board of Supervisors.

Richard Soden

Lake Forest

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I applaud Supervisor Smith for proposing that another measure be placed on the ballot so that the public can decide how to reuse El Toro property. We do need another opportunity to vote on the issue, considering the recent explosive developments.

Measure W promised a grandiose park, but after all this time, there is no plan on how to finance it without an excessive new tax for Orange County citizens.

The toxic-waste cleanup remains a major issue if the land is not an airport.

Most important, we now learn some of the land will not be park, but homes and businesses. Instead of allowing projects that will worsen our air and ground transportation problems, we need an airport that will solve them. Part of that El Toro property must be set aside for an airport, and the rest used for parks, museums and recreation purposes. We now have more information to help us make a decision for our future, so let’s vote again.

Marion Krone

Anaheim