What a wonderful victory for the Yes on F campaign! Orange County voters will get to choose where we build or expand airports, jails and toxic dumps. Effective immediately, the County is barred by this new law from spending money to promote the airport plan.  All that they are allowed to do is to complete the environmental impact report and take it to the people. This will be enforced.

Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad suffered a major defeat.  Not only did the initiative win by 67 percent to 33 percent countywide, but also it won big in each of their supervisorial districts.  We hope that they will not be foolhardy and risk the wrath of their own constituents by promoting a new initiative, intended solely to reverse the will of the people.

As is always the case, the loser in the election will file a lawsuit to try to overturn the vote of the people but we are confident that we will prevail in court.

That brings us to one final point.  After every victory, it seems that someone tries to claim more credit than they deserve, or to take advantage of the outcome.  Regrettably, that may be happening now.

Here are some facts for you: The passage of Measure F was organized and run by an official campaign committee, named Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities - Yes on Measure F, or CSHC for short.  CSHC marshaled the volunteer army, collected the petitions, ran the campaign headquarters, hired the professional consultants, purchased and distributed the signs, produced the TV ads, and lastly, organized the victory party. CSHC will be the prime defendant in any lawsuit against the initiative.

However, a similarly named group, calling itself the Safe and Healthy Communities Fund, with an Irvine address, is seeking money for their "unpaid bills" and "setting aside a portion of all funds received to help organize the legal defense" of our initiative. Jeffrey Metzger, an attorney who signed formal documents for CSHC, thereby becoming the "official proponent" of Measure F, has just circulated a letter soliciting contributions to the "Fund".

Metzger helped create the competing "Fund" during the campaign, without the prior knowledge or subsequent approval of the CSHC Executive Committee. His letter names, as those with whom he is working, Irvine City Councilman Larry Agran and Ed Dornan.  Dornan was Agran's nominee to the CSHC Executive Committee but was removed from the campaign committee for refusing to terminate the "Fund". Please do not send contributions to this separate "Fund", which, while promoting a Yes on Measure F, diverted money from the main CSHC campaign and is not expected to pay for the legal defense of our Committee and the initiative.

We regret that this has come up to somewhat dampen our parade but we felt obliged to inform you before you send any money.  The passage of Measure F will bring good things to Orange County residents and we thank you for helping to make it possible.

Please send any contributions for legal defense to the committee that ran the campaign:
CSHC - Yes on Measure F
PO Box 249
El Toro, CA 92630.

The office will be open part-time as we wind down activities. 949-768-4583. Stop in if you would like any left over literature for souvenirs.

Signed:
· Bill Kogerman, Chief Executive Officer, CSHC and Executive Director of Taxpayers for Responsible Planning
· Jim Davy, Petition Drive and Volunteer Coordinator, CSHC and President of Clear the Air/NO JETS
· Len Kranser, Communications Director, CSHC and Editor, El Toro Airport website
· Mike Ward, Campaign Sub-Committee Chairman, CSHC and Irvine City Councilman
· Tristan Krogius, Community-based Fundraising Chairman and Chairman of the Advisory Board of TRP
· Denny Harris, Executive Committee Member, CSHC and Member, Airport Land Use Commission
· Susan Withrow, Executive Committee Member, CSHC and Chair of ETRPA