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this request by the City of Aliso Viejo to comply with an outdated,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with an invalid, outdated planning requirement is a total waste of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.