May 16, 2000
The Honorable Chuck Smith
Chairman of the Board
Orange County Board of Supervisors
10 Civic Center Plaza
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Re: MCAS El Toro Study Session Options; Public Hearing Comments
Dear Supervisor Smith,
The passage of Measure F represents an opportunity for people
of all perspectives to
revisit important long-term planning and economic issues for
Orange County and to
exert leadership in addressing them.
The voters conveyed several messages in their support for Measure
F. Above all else,
it is clear that the voters want a more fact-based dialog and
a voice in the El Toro
reuse decision-making process.
Such a dialog is essential if we are going to effectively address
the crucial long-term
issues facing Orange County. It will also promote healing in
a county that has been
ripped apart by a divisive and acrimonious debate. Community
leaders must respond
collectively by providing a venue for this constructive dialog.
And viable solutions, as
required by Measure F, must be taken to the voters for approval.
Three relevant public policy questions require the County's attention at this time:
1. How will Orange County and the surrounding region meet long-range
air passenger
and air cargo demands, which are widely acknowledged to increase
in proportion to
economic growth;
2. Should MCAS El Toro be part of the solution; and
3. Should the reuse of the MCAS El Toro property help Orange County
address other
significant long-term needs as well.
OCBC has continually called for an open, fact-based dialog on
these important issues
and has focused its efforts on drawing attention to the long-term,
economic necessity
of meeting county and regional aviation demand.
Economic studies commissioned by OCBC have clearly documented
the role of
airports in business' site selection decisions. They demonstrate
that clean,
high-paying, high-tech industries, a new mainstay of the Orange
County economy, are
highly dependent upon air transportation services.
Although it may be some time before Orange County feels the true
pinch of limited
passenger and air cargo services, projections clearly foretell
substantial increases in
demand for aviation services in Orange County and throughout
the region in the
coming years.
OCBC is genuinely open to all alternatives - those involving El
Toro and other options
as well -- for meeting this aviation demand. A comprehensive
review of all the
alternatives, including but not exclusive of El Toro, must be
undertaken in light of the
current aviation demand projections. A viable, consensus-based
solution must be
identified. In the interim, it would be shortsighted to foreclose
prematurely any option
for addressing this important issue. OCBC strenuously opposes
any effort in this
regard.
In the next 20 years, Orange County's population is projected
to increase by 13% with
jobs increasing by 53%. Accommodating such growth while sustaining
our economy
will exacerbate the county's mobility, housing, education, recreation,
and open space
needs. Addressing these needs while maintaining Orange County's
high quality of life
is a daunting challenge for the county and requires that options
not be foreclosed
prematurely.
In this regard, a more comprehensive analysis of the economic,
environmental, and
quality of life implications of the Millennium Plan and all its
variations, as well as other
non-aviation alternatives, is in order. These alternatives have
not yet been subject to
the same level of scrutiny as have the various aviation proposals,
nor have they been
evaluated in light of a vision for Orange County's future or
its long-term quality-of-life
challenges. This must occur as part of the open, public dialog
that we believe the
voters demand of the reuse planning process.
The seven Study Session options presented by the County for public
comment raise
issues associated with whether to pursue an aviation or non-aviation
alternative for
MCAS El Toro, whether and under what circumstances to continue
aviation planning,
and whether the Board of Supervisors should continue its role
as the Local
Redevelopment Authority.
OCBC recommends and urges the Board to adopt the following course of action:
1. Comply fully with Measures A and F. Proceed thoughtfully with
next steps and in full
compliance with both measures.
2. Complete the Environmental Impact Report. As authorized and
required by law,
complete all environmental documentation and other studies that
are relevant to
aviation and non-aviation uses of the MCAS El Toro property.
Analyze non-aviation
alternatives for reuse to the same level of detail as aviation
alternatives. Make best
use of research and planning conducted to date.
3. Maintain the existing LRA and expand the public dialog. The
Board of Supervisors is
the appropriate Local Redevelopment Authority. However, the Board
should expand
opportunities for countywide, community, public/private sector
participation in the
review of facts and data on aviation and non-aviation alternatives,
and for a
collaborative dialog on the most viable proposals.
4. Address aviation needs. Identify reuse alternatives that will
enable the county to
meet long-term aviation demand projections or that are coupled
with solutions that will.
Evaluate and recommend solutions to governance and privatization
issues associated
with any adopted aviation solution.
5. No election in November. Defer a fourth vote of the public
on this matter until such
time as all pertinent facts and data are available and have been
shared with the
public.
As in the past, OCBC stands ready to lend its resources to the
comprehensive review
of viable proposals for addressing aviation demand and the other
significant land use
and quality of life issues noted above. A course of action on
the part of the Board that
is accountable to the taxpayers, more open to participation by
all elements of our
community, and keeps open a number of options for solving this
important issue will be
welcomed by OCBC and, we believe, by the public at large.
Thank you for this opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Stan Oftelie
President & CEO
Tom Merrick
Chairman of the Board