Comments to ALUC by Commissioner Tom O'Malley
April 15, 2004

Subj:  Airport Land Use Commission---Ref:  Agenda Item 3--City of Aliso Viejo-Initial General Plan (1995 MCAS El Toro AELUP)

In reference to this agenda item it must be noted, for the record, that this request by the City of Aliso Viejo to comply with an outdated, erroneous, Airport Land Use Planning regulation, truly reflects a prime example of the waste of taxpayers’ dollars forced upon them by this Commission.

It is obvious that this agenda item before us entailed numerous hours upon the staff of the City of Aliso Viejo and the staff of this commission.   Hours spend on a non-issue----for there is no noise Impact Zones for the former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro, there are no more instrument departure or arrival routes for the once active Marine Base.  El Toro has been and will continue to be absent from the DOD Flight Information Publication.  For they recognize that El Toro as a future commercial airport is a NON ISSUE.

The County of Orange General Plan has been amended for non-aviation use of the former base.  In addition, the Assistant Secretary for the Department of the Navy has written to this Commission and in that correspondence, dated October 9, 2002, stated that;  “On April 23, 2002, the Department of the Navy (DON) issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the disposal of the former MCAS El Toro.  The ROD announced the Navy’s decision to dispose of the former base in a manner consistent with the Orange County General plan, as amended by the passage of the Orange County Central Park and Nature Preserve Initiative (Measure W).”  

Most recently, [as a] matter of fact since our last Airport Land Use Commission meeting, the Southern California Association of Governments, SCAG, approved a new 2004 Regional Transportation Plan.  The SCAG RTP removes El Toro from the region’s list of airports.  This action follows an agreement signed between SCAG and the FAA.  Simply stated, El Toro is not and has not been used for landing or takeoffs of aircraft since 1999 and El Toro is not and will not be used as an airport.  Therefore forcing Orange County cities to comply with an invalid, outdated planning requirement is a total waste of taxpayers’ dollars and should be grounds to launch an investigation by the Attorney General.

As a commissioner I am embarrassed by this action.