OVERVIEW OF THE AIRPORT INITIATIVES - Measures A, S, F and W
a website editorial

This is a review of prior airport initiatives and the strategy behind Measures F and W.

The Historical Background for the Strategic Plan

In 1994, voters narrowly passed Measure A by a 51% margin.  It is a complex document. The measure changed several elements of the Orange County General Plan and zoned El Toro for a commercial airport. Measure A is the legal basis upon which Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad rely, when spending millions on planning and promoting an airport.

In 1996, Measure S attempted to overturn Measure A and failed. There were several reasons why.

• The public did not have adequate information about the negative impacts of an airport.  Relatively little had been divulged about the environmental, cost and safety consequences of placing a large airport in the middle of Orange County.  No Environmental Impact Report had been completed.

• California initiative law requires that any initiative to repeal Measure A must repeat it, with every word crossed out. Court rulings require that such an initiative also must include a substitute General Plan amendment, making for an unwieldy measure.

• The law gives pro-airport County attorneys control of the wording of the actual ballot question put before the voters, and the ballot summary in the voters’ pamphlet.  The measure's supporters do not write the question or summary. Voters, who want “No airport” must vote “Yes” on a potentially confusing summary of a long, gutted version of Measure A.

• During the Measure S campaign, scare mailers from a George Argyros-funded group, Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, opposed to Measure S, blanketed South County. They told voters that the measure's passage could lead to huge federal and state prisons at El Toro or a toxic wasteland in lieu of an airport. Turnout was low, and S failed.

In 1998, the challenges of explaining Measure S were still fresh in anti-airport leaders’ minds.  They had two strikes against them, in Measures A and S.  They could not risk a third. While a second direct attempt to overturn Measure A might succeed, it would be a tough fight against county politicians and wealthy opponents.

Therefore, a “one-two punch” strategy was adopted. First, they would inform the voters about the negative impacts of an airport, stop the county's pro-airport steamroller and build up countywide support for a non-aviation use of the base. Measure F was designed to stop the airport by making El Toro reuse the “voters’ choice”. The new initiative would safeguard against airports, and the threats of jails and toxic dumps that were raised by the opponents of Measure S.  The measure would reform the County’s irrational planning process for these noxious uses.

Secondly, if necessary, a General Plan amendment initiative, to replace Measure A, would be brought forth at the next general election. In 1998, there still  was some hope that a pro-airport supervisor might give up in the face of an anti-airport mandate from the voters. Unfortunately, Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad show a stubborn disregard for the will of the people - over the airport and over other issues such ad the popular health care initiative, Measure H.

As the public becomes better informed, opinion hardens against the airport project and behind non-aviation reuse. The Airline Pilots Association, the Air Traffic Controllers Union, and even some FAA personnel and consultants provided key information against the County’s airport plans.  ETRPA actively disseminated this anti-airport information. The 1998 decision to proceed in two steps gave anti-airport momentum more time to build. The results show.

The First Step Succeeded in the Court of Public Opinion.

Measure F, in 2000,  was the first campaign in which the voters were provided with information on the dollar cost, environmental impacts and alternatives to an airport.

Measure F was a great political victory. Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities, CSHC,  was organized as a coalition committee of leaders from all the anti-airport groups. Volunteer participation was tremendous. A record number of signatures, 195,000, were collected to place Measure F on the ballot.  The 67.3 percent landslide victory was extraordinary.

Due in large part to Measure F, there are no planes flying at El Toro. The County has signed a 5-year lease with the Navy, limited to non-aviation uses of the base.

Measure F Legal Status.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Otero’s decision against Measure F is just the first step in a judicial process.  Both sides always expected this litigation to be resolved by appeals to higher courts.  The final ruling on Measure F is apt to come from the California Supreme Court after the March 5, 2002 vote on Measure W.

The Final Steps.

Airport opponents will complete the second step of their strategy in 2002.  Measure A will be overturned at the ballot box by Measure W and replaced with a non-aviation General Plan. Measure W is the Orange County Central Park and Nature Preserve initiative.

Changing the County General Plan at the ballot box is a technical and costly job.  However, anti-airport forces now are in a vastly stronger position to do that job.  The Central Park initiative is the result of substantial research, polling and citizen input as to what the people of the County want at El Toro.

Support for an airport at El Toro has dropped to about 35 percent. The Measure F debate has left the public better informed, more optimistic of success, and energized to kill the airport.  Support for the non-aviation educational and recreational use of El Toro is at over 60 percent.

Anti-airport organizations have assembled a huge network of volunteer workers and citizen contributors. Infrastructure - a campaign office, mailing lists, Internet presence, consulting teams and experience volunteer leaders - are in place. Measure F bought time and brought strength to the effort against the airport.  The overturning of Measure A, and its replacement with a non-aviation plan, Measure W,  is much more certain today than ever before.

We are more confident that there will be no airport at El Toro - because the voters will not allow it.

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This page last updated on December 25, 2001