NEWPORT - COSTA MESA DAILY PILOT

Editorial, December 7, 2000

                                    Now's the chance to make the El Toro case

Second chances don't come around very often.

But here in Newport-Mesa, we just got lucky. When a Los Angeles judge overturned Measure F last week, he granted local airport activists a new opportunity to run a winning campaign.

The attempts earlier this year to defeat the initiative -- crafted by South County to kill plans for an El Toro airport -- were, at best, feeble.

Pro-airport activists failed to get the word out and Measure F landed a crushing victory in March, perhaps in part because most county voters were never given a good reason to vote against it.

If a judge didn't think Measure F was legitimate, then airport advocates -- if they had only tried -- probably could have convinced voters countywide that Measure F was a bad idea to begin with.

But "No on F" campaigners barely ventured outside of Newport-Mesa to spread the word about why people should not support the initiative. Instead, they heavily canvassed their own backyard -- in essence preaching not even to the choir, but preaching to the other preachers.

This time, it worked out in the end. As a result of a legal challenge, Measure F was found to be unconstitutional and thrown out.

But relying on the courts is expensive, and it is no guarantee.

Because it's possible that the judge could have interpreted things the other way, we believe it should have never gotten that far. The highly paid pro-airport consultants failed to convince Orange County voters to see Measure F in a different light.

But, thanks to Judge James Otero's ruling, they have that precious second chance to redeem themselves.

Those trying to block an El Toro airport have said that in addition to a possible appeal of the decision striking down Measure F, they have another initiative in the wings. The South County forces have demonstrated that they are organized and effective -- but presumably no more so than Newport-Mesa could be.

So this time, pro-airport forces need to get it right. They need a strong, unified leadership to initiate a campaign. Spread the message throughout Orange County. Convince people in neighboring cities that they need a second airport. Let them know that if John Wayne expands, it can escalate noise in such areas as North Tustin and even Irvine. And remind them that the Newport coast is a precious resource that, if further polluted in the event of John Wayne's growth, could be lost forever.

Leave open the avenues of compromise. A smaller airport at El Toro is better than none.

And don't stop work on extending the John Wayne caps, which expire in 2005. The two airport fights -- one to build at El Toro and one to stop growth at John Wayne -- may be related, but they are not mutually exclusive.

With Tuesday's unanimous vote by the Orange County Board of Supervisors to support keeping the flight restrictions at John Wayne, this is a prime time to keep the momentum going.

And with many months before another countywide airport initiative could be placed on the ballot, this is the best moment to start strategizing for a campaign.

Don't risk waiting until it's too late -- because more than likely, there will not be a third chance.