Taking Sides in Debate Over River Proposals

Re “Conservancy Would Be Good for Santa Ana River; Highway Won’t Be,” April 20:

Fountain Valley City Councilman Gus Ayer has reasonable concerns about extending the Orange Freeway along the Santa Ana River. The costs and consequences must be carefully weighed, especially to those cities along the route.

One thing is certain: The extension would provide enormous relief from traffic congestion in central Orange County. Using the existing river corridor, it would require no land acquisition or eminent domain.

The political and technical challenges are real. But so are the savings to commuters who daily waste away in crawling traffic. Of the three major new transportation initiatives being considered, including the CenterLine light-rail line and the Foothill/Eastern southern extension, the Orange Freeway extension promises by far the most immediate congestion relief.

Chris Norby

Supervisor, 4th District

Director, OCTA Board

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Re “A New Vision for River,” April 13:

The proposed Santa Ana River Conservancy is a visionary project that will have many positive effects on parks, water quality, beach quality, tourism and wildlife. It can strengthen our communities along the Santa Ana River. It has the added benefit of bringing scarce acquisition funds to Orange County.

Few realize that the state conservancy model offers several benefits in helping protect our environment. It gives control to the communities while having the stature and clout of a state entity. Local control for local issues in Orange County is something we can all embrace. Orange County traditionally has not received its fair share of state acquisition money and we are a county that gives more in taxes to Sacramento than we get back. Much of this money goes to acquire parkland outside Orange County.

Los Angeles County has three state conservancies: the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Baldwin Hills Conservancy, and the San Gabriel River and Mountains Conservancy. They receive millions of dollars for land acquisition.

That is why it was such a surprise to see Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby oppose something that could protect our local water resources and then suggest spending $700 million for a freeway down the center of the Santa Ana River. Since the river runs to the ocean in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, the freeway only guarantees dirty oceans and another taxpayer boondoggle.

Paul Arms

Huntington Beach

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It was unfortunate that three supervisors voted against Orange County getting some of our state money back by not supporting a Santa Ana River Conservancy. A conservancy could help where the Board of Supervisors has failed, which is protecting our environment, our quality of life and our tax money.

Orange County is a donor county. Getting money back from Sacramento is a good idea. After the millions of tax dollars the County of Orange spent promoting the failed El Toro airport, or the billion dollars lost in the Orange County bankruptcy, or the millions lost by the county planning department, getting our fair share of existing state bond money to provide parks in Orange County might be a good thing.

Gail Prothero

San Juan Capistrano