A review of 15 events in 2000 that could have long-term effects on public policy

News comes and goes and sometimes its sticks.  By which we mean that, in ways readily apparent and often less so, events that capture our attention for their immediate interest also have long-lasting effects on public thinking and policy-making.

Here is the Commentary staff's look back at a handful of such developments in the year 2000.

#3. Hasta la vista, El Toro:

With regard to the long-simmering battle over building a commercial airport at El Toro, Orange County residents finished the year in essentially the same legal place as they began the year, with the airport still on the drawing board.

But a lot happened this year that has changed the nature of the debate forever. In March, voters overwhelmingly passed Measure F, gaining majority support in every city except Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. The anger directed at the pro-airport majority spilled over into unrelated issues. Many F backers threw their support behind Measure H - directing the board to spend a majority of tobacco settlement dollars on medical programs as a way to get back at a board viewed as unresponsive.

By the end of the year, a Los Angeles judge overturned Measure F on constitutional grounds, handing the board majority a major victory. But airport backers have got to see the handwriting on the wall now. The El Toro project may still be on track, but we expect it to fizzle out in the near future.