By Stephen C. Smith

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness," begins "A Tale of Two Cities." Charles Dickens' words apply equally to Orange County's Tale of Two Bases.

The Marine Corps Air Stations at El Toro and Tustin are scheduled for closure in 1999. While we rend ourselves asunder over converting MCAS El Toro into the nation's fifth largest international airport, a panel of public and private sector leaders has quietly planned the conversion of MCAS Tustin to profitable, environmentally safe, non-aviation uses.

MCAS Tustin is a classic study in the right way to do it. The City of Tustin, designated the lead agency by the Navy, followed the Defense Department's guidelines spelled out in its Community Guide to Base Reuse. The result was a plan widely supported by homeowners, the business community, and neighboring cities.

Following the guidelines, the City of Tustin assembled a Base Closure Task Force that included representatives from the Cities of Tustin, Irvine and Santa Ana, and the County of Orange. Joining the panel were members of the Chamber of Commerce, homeowners' associations, and major figures in the business community.

All task force meetings were open to the public. They were as inclusionary as possible, to address the concerns of all those impacted. They surveyed 30,000 residents and businesses to obtain input on key issues and land use preferences. They held community workshops to define issues and craft alternatives.

Conflicting interests surfaced, yet no one felt the need for a countywide ballot measure forcing one unpalatable alternative down the throats of those most impacted. In fact, a primary goal was to be a "good neighbor." As stated in the plan, "The new uses and design peacefully coexist with surrounding residences and businesses in Tustin and adjacent cities, minimizing impacts on noise, air quality, traffic, and other environmental features."

The result was a balanced plan with something for everyone. When MCAS Tustin closes in 1999, the city can move ahead with conversion, free of public acrimony and entangling lawsuits.

Let's contrast this with MCAS El Toro's history.

Following Navy guidelines, a similar joint powers agency was formed in 1993. The El Toro Reuse Planning Authority (ETRPA) included the Cities of Irvine and Lake Forest, as well as the County of Orange. Measure A changed all that. The ballot measure transferred authority from ETRPA to the County Board of Supervisors.

Measure A passed by a 51% to 49% margin in November 1994, only one month before the County bankruptcy. Had the dates been reversed, it's highly doubtful the electorate would have handed over El Toro's planning to the same bureaucracy that had just bungled away billions of dollars.

The measure also created a Citizens Advisory Commission mandated "to facilitate and promote joint use of El Toro MCAS by the military and commercial air cargo carriers prior to closure" and to "work with federal and state government agencies and other local agencies and commissions in connection with the planning and development of an airport at El Toro". The law requires this group to support a commercial airport at El Toro, no matter how foolish an idea it may be.

The federal Base Closure Act intended for local communities impacted by a base closure to plan its conversion. MCAS Tustin is a model for how El Toro should have proceeded. This was how it was done across the country.

Measure A abdicated that process. Before any meaningful dialogue or analysis could occur, Measure A dictated a commercial airport.

North county voters -- who supported Measure A -- outnumber those who live around MCAS El Toro, who oppose the airport. But the north has no meaningful interest in El Toro. The Community Guide emphasizes that the reuse authority should "represent the impacted area and its demographics." It's laughable to suggest that north county cities 20 miles away are an "impacted area." Tustin didn't include north county cities in its process, recognizing that -- frankly -- it was none of their business.

In a bipartisan effort, Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Christopher Cox recently wrote the Navy asking that a non- aviation alternative be given equal consideration. Even the County's own plan admits that a non-aviation alternative will create more jobs than an airport. It's sad that we have to expect a federal bureaucrat 3,000 miles away to do what our County leadership has failed to do. Once again, we've become a national embarrassment.

MCAS Tustin and MCAS El Toro are only five miles apart. They share common neighbors, common demographics and a common economic base. MCAS Tustin's conversion process was a rousing success. There's still time for us to learn from Tustin's example and do what's right for the people living near MCAS El Toro.

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Stephen C. Smith is a volunteer deputy director of Project `99, a non-profit group supporting non-aviation uses for MCAS El Toro.