COMMUNITY: From molding plan to raising funds, a
     common interest bonded supporters.

     March 9, 2000

     By PETER LARSEN
     and JIM RADCLIFFE
     The Orange County Register

     Measure F, which might topple the proposed El Toro airport and
     change the face of county government, was born on a June 1998
     afternoon, inside Irvine City Hall.

     Ten or so community leaders whose names few would recognize met
     in secret and tossed around ideas — including a grass-roots initiative
     that would end up collecting a record 192,000 signatures to qualify for
     the ballot and, on Tuesday, a stunning 67 percent approval by county
     voters.

     "We wanted to have something that both made sense and was a
     winner," said Paul Eckles of Laguna Niguel, the top administrator of an
     eight-city coalition against the airport and a major influence on Measure
     F.

     But it took months of tinkering to craft an initiative with a chance at the
     ballot box. Just attacking the airport wouldn't do it. Too many central
     and north-county residents likely favored an airport there.

     "It was almost like we had homework to do," said Bill Kogerman of
     Laguna Hills, executive director of the anti-airport Taxpayers for
     Responsible Planning, adding that the closed-door meetings were often
     attended by 20 to 30 community and political activists. "We'd go back
     with our papers and present our papers. They would be bounced
     around, and there would be criticism when appropriate."

     Measure F, when the results are officially certified in about a month,
     will keep the county from building or expanding an airport, a jail near
     homes or a toxic dump until a 67 percent majority of residents vote for
     the specific project.

     The anti-airport activists considered adding refineries and nuclear
     power plants to the initiative. But they kicked them out because the
     county doesn't build them.

     An initiative that would handicap the county's ability to finance an El
     Toro airport was tossed because it was difficult for voters to
     comprehend.

     Some wanted to require a simple majority vote instead of the
     two-thirds that ended up in Measure F. But telephone polling — in
     which respondents were not told why they were being questioned —
     found that the Orange County residents liked the super majority.

     "I think the epiphany — the revelation — was that it wasn't just about
     the airport, it was about the process," Eckles said.

     This came when a dozen north-county residents were randomly
     selected and hunkered down with a professional moderator. While
     Eckles, Kogerman and others watched through a one-way mirror, The
     residents said they wanted an El Toro airport — but they also wanted
     residents to vote on it.

     Because the coalition is run and funded by south-county cities, it was
     prohibited by law from politicking for Measure F. The coalition asked
     the county supervisors to put it on the ballot, but the board refused.

     Not surprisingly, the anti-airport activists took the proposed measure
     and turned to their army in waiting to launch the petition drives needed
     to get the measure on the ballot, said Leonard Kranser, one of the
     grass-roots organizers.

     Groups such as Taxpayers For Responsible Planning, Project 99 and
     Clear The Air/No Jets had developed mailing lists of several thousand
     names, he said. The anti-airport Web site launched in 1996 had an
     e-mail list of several thousand more.

     Word went out on the anti-airport grapevine and volunteers responded
     in droves, Kranser said. After the county's flight demonstration in June,
     interest climbed even higher.

     "People saw their neighbors out collecting signatures in front of the
     market and said, 'How can I help?' " Kranser said. "The thing just
     snowballed.

     "After the signature gathering was over, people were chafing at the bit
     over what their next job would be in the campaign," he said. "All we
     had to do was put out an e-mail that yard signs were available, and the
     requests came flooding in."

     Eckles and others said people responded to the initiative as a way to
     handcuff the "arrogant" board majority that fought them at every turn.

     Clear The Air/No Jets, a loose coalition of about 100 homeowner
     associations, was particularly effective at spreading the word.

     Jim Davy of Dana Point, president of that group, said it was launched
     about three years ago to provide a network of homeowner support for
     future airport fights. Measure F was a natural fit.

     Delegates channeled information back to their neighborhood
     homeowners through association newsletters or information provided
     by Clear The Air/No Jets. In addition to support for the signature drive,
     the associations were a significant source of fund raising, Davy said.

     "About 30 or 40 of them ran fund-raising ads in their newsletters," he
     said. "About 32 associations conducted events. They all raised money,
     from a few thousand up to the $315,000 that Three Arch Bay raised.

     "Altogether, the 32 raised about $1 million," Davy said.

     It turned out to be an important source of money. Initially, the coalition
     hoped to endow its campaign war chest by soliciting large donations
     from wealthy airport opponents, Kranser said. Then they would work
     their way down to medium-sized contributions, and finally to
     direct-mail solicitations for small donations.

     "What we found was that there were not big donors ready to step
     forward with large donations on a contentious issue," Kranser said. "So
     last fall, we switched our focus and moved up efforts at
     community-based fund raising.

     "By the time we were done, we probably had in excess of 15,000
     people who contributed to the campaign, with most of those checks
     being $25 or less," he said.

     Airport opponents said they will not grow complacent now that
     Measure F has passed. There remains a great mistrust of the county
     and the pro-airport board of supervisors.

     "As a network of field troops, they're ready any time to fight the
     county," Davy said of the thousands who volunteered for the measure.

     "And if (the supervisors) are going to be that arrogant about it, our
     people will be all the more furious, frankly, and dedicated to again
     putting them back in their place."