NEWS - January 2004
Today's Headlines - click
on date for story
LA Times, January 31, 2004
"LAX Air Traffic Hits 9-Year Low"
NY Times, January 28, 2004, website posted January
30, 2004
"Tripling of Capacity for Air Traffic Is Sought"
OC Register, January 29, 2004
"Long Beach Airport makes plans to expand"
LA Times, January 29, 2004
"Airport Agency Is Scrutinized"
El Toro Info Site report, January 28, 2004
Waiting for something to happen
OC Register, January, 27, 2004
"Report: Trains would cost less, be better for Calif. Environment"
OC Register, January, 25, 2004
"One legal hurdle left in Great Park battle"
Daily Pilot, January 24, 2004
"Wilson doesn't support city's plan for JWA"
"The county supervisor said a single city should not have control
of the airport, but Newport officials are not giving up."
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, January 23, 2004
"Hawaiian scrubs daily flights"
"Low demand at ONT cited"
Daily Pilot, January 22, 2004 - updated
"An opportunity not to air again"
El Toro Info Site report, January 21, 2004
El Toro sale is subject of meeting
El Toro Info Site report, January 20, 2004
The Measure W Papers
OC Register Editorial, January 18, 2004
"Update: the Great Park"
John Wayne Airport News Release, January 16, 2004
"John Wayne Airport Passenger Levels Hit All-Time
High"
El Toro Info Site report, January
15, 2004
Airport Land Use Commission is out of control
OC Register, January, 15, 2004
Irvine receives OK to annex El Toro
LAFCO dismisses airport group's appeal, bringing Great
Park closer to reality.
El Toro Info Site report, January 14, 2004 - updated
El Toro annexed to Irvine. What's next?
El Toro Info Site report, January 13, 2004
Wilson: Newport's airport takeover is
a "non-issue"
LA Times, January 13, 2004
"Aloha Airlines Applies for JWA-to-D.C.
Route"
Daily Pilot, January 11, 2004, posted January
12, 2004
"Mesa needs to step up its role in
JWA takeover"
El Toro Info Site report, January 11, 2004
Meetings this week
LA Times Business Section, January 9, 2004 -
updated
"L.A. Nixed as Virgin Airline Site"
El Toro Info Site report, January 9, 2004
Much Ado about Nothing
Daily Pilot, January 7, 2004
Costa Mesa City Council wrap-up
OC Register, January 7, 2004
"John Wayne to add 6 gates"
El Toro Info Site report, January 6, 2004 - updated
Board of Supervisors selects
its officers
El Toro Info Site report, January 5, 2004
FAA: "No objection" to annexation
Daily Pilot,
January 5, 2004
"Costa Mesa may weigh in
on JWA plan"
OC Register, January 2, 2004
"Supervisors . . . On last
year and next."
El Toro Info Site Report, January 1, 2004
The day of the pundits
Daily
Pilot, January 1, 2004
"What to watch"
"Here are some headlines readers
can expect to see in the Daily Pilot this year."
El Toro Info Site
report
2003 - THE EL TORO YEAR IN REVIEW
Click here for previous news stories
LA Times, January
31, 2004
"LAX Air Traffic Hits 9-Year Low"
"Fewer hassles and more flights at regional airports lure more travelers."
"Fewer hassles and a growing number of flights at regional facilities have
prompted people . . . to change the way they travel, with the result that
Southern California's smaller airports gradually have been assuming a greater
share of the region's air traffic."
"The shift is evident in new statistics from Los Angeles International Airport,
where traffic hit a nine-year low in 2003 after a third consecutive year of
decline. LAX still handles 71% of Southern California's passengers, according
to figures released Friday, but that's the smallest percentage ever recorded."
"Though the trend favoring airports in Burbank, Ontario, Long Beach and
Santa Ana has accelerated since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it's not
new. LAX handled 88% of the region's traffic in 1960. By 2000 its share had
fallen to 77%, and it dropped to 71% last year."
"The Federal Aviation Administration forecasts that LAX will serve about
73% of the region's traffic in 2015, up slightly from the current level. If
Mayor James K. Hahn's $9-billion modernization plan for LAX is approved, the
airport will handle about 70% of the load. (Hahn's plan proposes limiting
growth at LAX to 78.9 million annual passengers.)"
"Today, LAX is serving 18% fewer passengers than it did at its peak in 2000.
About 54.9 million travelers visited the world's fifth-busiest airport last
year." Website Editor: If the trend continues, Dallas-Fort Worth may knock
LAX into sixth place."
Click
for the full article.
Website Editor: LAX is the only one of the nation's largest airports
with no expansion plans for adding runways or terminal gates. With U.S. passenger
demand expected to resume its growth, LA and SCAG officials
propose to push much of the increased traffic onto smaller airports.
By 2030, LAX is planned to handle only 46% of the regional passenger service.
Neighbors around several of these regional airports, including John Wayne,
are resisting taking all of the projected growth. It is not hard to see why
the O.C. voters' decision to remove the El Toro's runways from the mix was
a bitter pill to many.
NY Times, January 28,
2004, website posted January 30, 2004
"Tripling of Capacity for Air Traffic Is Sought"
"The secretary of transportation called Tuesday for tripling the air traffic
capacity of the United States in the next 15 to 20 years to make room for
more jet taxis, private jets, airliner traffic and the use of unmanned aerial
vehicles."
"The secretary, Norman Y. Mineta, said that air travel was recovering from
the terrorist attacks of 2001 because of improved security and a rebounding
economy and that new runways, control towers, air traffic computers and
other improvements were being added. But, Mr. Mineta said, 'the changes
that are coming are too big, too fundamental for incremental adaptations
of the infrastructure.'" More
. . .
Website Editor: The Washington Times reports, "Mr. Mineta said the Bush
administration plans to install STARS [Standard Terminal
Automation Replacement System] at 14 additional airports
this year. Other plans call for seven new runways, seven new air traffic
control towers and more advanced radar systems in the next five years."
Articles on the subject do not address the issue of getting the increased
number of passengers to and from the airports nor how to deal with local
decisions to cap airports' capacity.
OC Register, January 29,
2004
"Long Beach Airport makes plans to expand"
"Nearby residents of Seal Beach and Huntington Beach hope the moves won't
eventually lead to adding more flights."
"Long Beach Airport is circulating expansion plans calling for more parking
and space for passenger boarding and baggage claim – moves the airport says
will allow it to better handle current traffic and accommodate the addition
of any commuter flights."
"Some people who live near the airport and under approach paths in Seal
Beach and Huntington Beach want the 81-year-old airport to remain its small-town,
quaint self."
"That's unlikely, given the airport's surging popularity." More
. . .
Website Editor: Fears that LGB might expand, or that the nearby Los
Alamitos Air Station and Seal Beach Naval Weapons Center might someday be
converted into a commercial airport, have been used
by El Toro proponents to fuel support for their cause amongst residents
in the area.
LA Times, January
29, 2004
"Airport Agency Is Scrutinized"
"Concession contracts at LAX said to be subject of grand jury testimony."
"Los Angeles County prosecutors are investigating possible corruption
in the way the city's airport department handles lucrative outside contracts,
according to sources familiar with the probe."
Among those "testifying was [Deputy LA Mayor Troy] Edwards, who manages
several city departments, including the harbor and Los Angeles World Airports,
which oversees LAX, Ontario International Airport, and Van Nuys and Palmdale
airports."
"Edwards, who was Mayor James K. Hahn's campaign finance director during
his first run for mayor in 2001, refused to comment on his appearance Wednesday."
"In another probe . . . prosecutors are making inquiries into questions
raised by City Controller Laura Chick as an offshoot of a Dec. 15 audit that
was critical of airport contracting practices. Chick asked local, state and
federal law enforcement agencies to look into potential illegal acts that
she found while conducting the audit of the city's airport agency."
"The controller said she was concerned about a 'pay-to-play environment
in the city of Los Angeles,' referring to a practice in which contractors
make contributions to political campaigns in exchange for preferential treatment."
Full
story.
The press
previously reported that "the [Los Angeles] District Attorney's
Office has opened an inquiry into possible wrongdoing by Airport Commission
members, including President Ted Stein, in the awarding of contracts for
Mayor James Hahn's $9.1 billion LAX modernization."
Website Editor: Edwards
and Stein co-authored the secret Los Angeles bid to take over El Toro as
a satellite of LAX.
El Toro Info Site report,
January 28, 2004
Waiting for something to happen
A June 10, 2003 press release from the GSA and Colliers Seeley International,
the firm handling marketing of El Toro for the government, said, "The auction
is scheduled to begin this fall." It didn't. So what is happening?
Basically, the government is moving at the pace of . . . government.
As best we can determine, the Department of Toxic Substances of the California
Environmental Protection Agency has some new cleanup issues, not previously
discussed, on which they are going around with the Navy.
Current guesstimates are that it will be at least several more weeks
until the issuance of Invitations to Bid. Then, at least
two more months will pass before the start of the bidding.
OC Register, January,
27, 2004
"Report: Trains would cost less, be better for Calif. Environment"
"SACRAMENTO (AP) -- A high-speed rail system linking California's major
cities would be less than half as expensive and more environmentally friendly
than building out highways and airports to meet the state's travel demands,
a draft environmental impact report says."
"The 2,000-page document, scheduled to be released Tuesday at news
conferences in San Francisco and Los Angeles, looks at three options to
deal with the state's transportation needs as intercity travel increases
as much as 63 percent over the next 20 years."
"'Our conclusion is, and data shows, that basically the high-speed
train is the best of the three options,' Mehdi Morshed, executive director
of the California High-Speed
Rail Authority, said Monday." Click
for full article.
OC Register, January, 25,
2004
"One legal hurdle left in Great Park battle"
"Just one remnant of the decade-long fight to defeat a commercial
airport proposal for the old El Toro air base remains to be settled .
. . It's a lawsuit filed by the Airport Working Group, which hoped the old
base would be converted to a commercial airport. AWG's suit challenges
Irvine's environmental impact report, saying it underestimates traffic
that would be generated by the Great Park and fails to analyze the environmental
effects of breaking up the runways and trucking away the 31 million cubic
feet of concrete."
"Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, a lawyer, is confident this last suit will
be settled without great strain, likening it to a 'fix-it' ticket . .
. Challenges frequently are filed against EIRs on disputed projects. Such
litigation is often settled in negotiation, with the defendants agreeing
to do additional study, perform further mitigation, reduce the size of the
project or all of those things." Website Editor: Or
pay money.
Daily Pilot, January
24, 2004
"Wilson doesn't support city's plan for JWA"
"The county supervisor said a single city should not have control
of the airport, but Newport officials are not giving up."
"NEWPORT BEACH — The city's dream of taking over or even purchasing
John Wayne Airport has suffered a serious setback as county Supervisor
Tom Wilson said he would not support the idea.
But city officials say they haven't given up hope."
"'My colleagues and I feel like having it managed by more of a regional
global authority is better than a specific city,' Wilson said Friday. 'I
think in general that's the feeling: Being under the auspices of county
government is better than having in under the control of a single city.'"
"Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway sees things differently."
"'I don't agree with his analysis that the county is better suited
to run it,' Ridgeway said. 'We have accepted more than our fair share
of the regional transportation demand and why shouldn't we have a significant
role in controlling what happens at the airport?'"
"City officials were disappointed by Wilson's remarks, but none were
ready to say the issue was dead." Click
for more.
Inland Valley Daily
Bulletin, January 23, 2004
"Hawaiian scrubs daily flights"
"Low demand at ONT cited"
"Hawaiian Airlines decided this week to discontinue its daily,
nonstop service to Ontario International Airport due to lack of passenger
demand."
A spokesperson for Hawaiian Airlines said, "'We had good support
from the folks at the Ontario airport and also at (Los Angeles World
Airports)...during our time serving the market, but it came down to
not being able to fill our flights.'"
"Hawaiian Airlines launched the service in June 2002, seizing on
what it saw as an opportunity to serve a growing and underserved market.
However, the percentage of passengers on the airline on the Ontario
route was among the lowest of the nine cities that operate from the
mainland."
"Air Canada, which started up in June 2000, pulled its route
out a few months later in September. However, AeroMexico and Azteca,
which fly to Mexico, remain popular."
Website Editor: Ontario airport commissioned a study of passenger
origins and destinations. A March 2003 partial report on "off peak"
travel was obtained and made public by
this website.
A comprehensive ONT passenger report, including peak period travel
data, was completed in October 2003 but has been kept under wraps. Numerous
calls and emails to the airport and its consultants have gone unanswered.
It appears that Los Angeles World Airports is withholding this information,
just as LAWA
has stalled the release of a major 2001 study of LAX usage.
With LAX and SCAG regional long-range plans dependent on pushing
30 million annual passengers to Ontario, this survey information should
be released and discussed.
Daily Pilot, January 22,
2004 - updated
"An opportunity not to air again"
Website Editor: Pilot columnist Joseph Bell continues to
beat the drums for a Newport Beach takeover of John Wayne airport.
The Board of Supervisors is saying "No" to the idea, but apparently not
everyone has gotten the message.
Bell writes, "I had coffee late Tuesday morning with Newport
Beach City Councilman John Heffernan to talk about the impending efforts
of that city to take over the operation of John Wayne Airport."
"Heffernan served on the council's aviation committee and was
one of three council members chosen for an ad hoc committee to explore
the issue with the county . . .So I asked Heffernan if I should be pulling
for the city in its quest."
"I think his answer was what qualifies for lawyers as 'Yes.'"
Click
for the entire column. Board Chairman Wilson promised a "No!" from the supervisors.
Click here for the text of
Wilson's January 20 letter to the Mayor of Newport Beach.
El Toro Info Site report,
January 21, 2004
El Toro sale is subject of meeting
With completion of the annexation of the former El Toro base
to the City of Irvine, the ball now is in the Navy's court to resolve
remaining issues between the federal government and the State of California.
Wayne Arny, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Installations and Facilities
for the Department of the Navy, was in Irvine Tuesday afternoon trying
to move along the sale of the former base property.
El Toro Info Site report,
January 20, 2004
The Measure W Papers
With plans for the Great Park moving forward, it is easy to
forget how close we came to having a commercial airport at El Toro.
But for a crucial legal victory by the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority,
ETRPA, planes would be flying out of the former base today.
In
March 2001, Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad voted to give $5 million
of taxpayer money to the Orange County Regional Airport Authority,
OCRAA, for a "public information campaign". The campaign was intended
to promote the airport project and defeat Measure W, the Orange County
Central Park and Nature Preserve initiative.
At the same time, the City Council of Newport Beach was preparing
to give $3.7 million
of city taxpayers money to the Airport Working Group for a companion
anti-Great Park blitz.
ETRPA
succeeded in convincing a court that the expenditures should
be enjoined as an illegal use of public funds for political purposes.
Otherwise, supporters of Measure W, would have been outspent by a ratio
of about 5 to 1. Defeat of Measure W would have led the Navy to turn El
Toro over to the County for an airport.
In recent days, this website has obtained nearly 500 pages
of documents related to the County's grant to OCRAA. They were produced
in response to our California Public Records Act request to County
Executive Officer Jim Ruth. Ruth has been asked to also release another
large quantity of related material withheld as "attorney work product"
or for "attorney client privileged". We cited "the public's right to
know how county government spent taxpayer funds."
We will be publishing portions of the information in the weeks
ahead.
The scope of the intense County effort to defeat Measure W
is summarized in one document, a December 20, 2001 email from OCRAA's
Jack Wagner to former County LRA Director Gary Simon. It presents
a schedule for mailing 9 postcards, 6 brochures and a booklet to nearly
every voter household in the County during the last 11 weeks before the
March 2002 election. Only one postcard was sent before the judge
squelched the project.
OC Register Editorial,
January 18, 2004
"Update: the Great Park"
"It's time to make sure the city of Irvine lives up to its
public responsibilities and builds a park that does not sock it to
taxpayers."
"Now that the Local Agency Formation Commission gave the
city of Irvine the OK to annex the former El Toro base for use as a
park, we're hoping that airport opponents will stop using the specter
of a renewed airport plan to raise money and drum up political support.
We're hoping, too, that airport supporters give up their fantasies also."
More
. . .
John Wayne Airport News
Release, January 16, 2004
"John Wayne Airport Passenger Levels Hit All-Time
High"
"John Wayne airport experienced a banner year in 2003, as
airport passenger levels hit record highs. With extremely busy Thanksgiving
and Christmas/New Years holiday travel seasons at the end of the year,
the airport ended up serving a total of 8,535,130 passengers during the calendar
year - an 8% increase over 2002."
With revisions to the 1985 Settlement Agreement between
the County of Orange, City of Newport Beach and two community groups,
(Airport Working Group and Stop Polluting Our Newport) agreed to by
all parties, airport officials have begun the initial planning phase
for the expansion of the existing Thomas F. Riley Terminal building."
Temporary gate structures will be added as an
interim step.
El Toro Info Site
report, January 15, 2004
Airport Land Use Commission is out of control
Last month,
Gerald Breshnahan, Chairman of the Orange County Airport Land Use
Commission, refused a request from Commissioner Denny Harris to agendize
a discussion of the obsolete El Toro Airport Environs Land Use Plan
(AELUP). Tonight, Harris returned with a written request
that the Chairman agendize the matter for the commission's next
meeting. The request was co-signed with Commissioner Tom
O'Malley.
Breshnahan again refused to schedule a discussion of the
El Toro restrictions.
Alternate Commissioner Len Kranser asked "What law or rule
do you follow when refusing to agendize a subject?" Breshnahan shrugged
and answered "ALUC rules."
On February 25, 2003 the Board of Supervisors rescinded
the El Toro Airport System Master Plan and requested "preparation of
the Airport Land Use Plan to reflect this action." For almost a year,
ALUC has ignored the supervisors and the Board has been unwilling or
unable to bring the commission under control.
Fullerton Airport Manager Ron Prost and ALUC Executive
Director Joan Golding, both public employees, appear to support the
Chairman's action.
The Commissioners are:
Mr. Gerald Bresnahan, Chairman, appointed by John Wayne Airport
Mr. Rod Propst, Vice Chairman, appointed by Fullerton Airport
Ms. Patricia Campbell, Mayor of Seal Beach, appointed by
the League of Cities
Mr. Don Webb, Newport Beach City Councilman, appointed
by the League of Cities
Mr. Denny Harris, appointed by the Board of Supervisors
Mr. Thomas O'Malley, Jr., appointed by the Board of Supervisors
Mr. Herman Beverburg, selected by the other members
In a separate item this evening, Kranser pointed out that
ALUC's John Wayne Airport Environs Land Use Plan is also out-of-date.
It is based on 1985 airport operating limits that were increased this
year. The AELUP ignores the increase in the airport's noise regulated
flights from 73 to 85 Average Daily Departures. Executive Director Golding
said there was no requirement to update the plan.
OC Register, January,
15, 2004
Irvine receives OK to annex El Toro
LAFCO dismisses airport group's appeal, bringing Great
Park closer to reality.
"The Great Park plan can go forward after Irvine passed
a major hurdle in the decade- long fight against plans for an airport
at the former El Toro air base. The Local Agency Formation Commission
on Wednesday approved Irvine's plan to annex the base and dismissed
an appeal by the Airport Working Group."
"Irvine is now the largest city in the county at 35,302
acres; Anaheim drops to second at 32,192 acres."
"At Monday's meeting, 13 people urged the commission to
reconsider an appeal. 'This is nothing but a great hoax. It is nothing
more than a bait-and-switch,' said Seal Beach Mayor
Patricia Campbell" who is also an OCRAA member and pro-El Toro
commissioner on the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission.
"The Navy will meet with the city next week to discuss
moving forward with its online land auction, which could start as
soon as spring."
El Toro Info Site report,
January 14, 2004 - updated
El Toro annexed to Irvine. What's next?
Today, the Local Agency Formation Commission, LAFCO,
finalized its approval of Irvine's annexation of El Toro by a 5-2
vote. The opposition came from Supervisor Jim Silva who argued for
an airport at El Toro and from Arlene Schafer
representing the Costa Mesa Sanitary District. Effective immediately,
El Toro is part of Irvine. So what happens next?
The ball is in the Navy's court. Frustratingly, Navy
staff has yet to complete arrangements for the sale they have been
contemplating since the Measure W election in March 2002. No date
has been announced for the commencement of the auction.
There also is the matter of Airport Working Group litigation
with which to contend.
The lawsuit
by AWG and others against Measure W now becomes less relevant.
The suit has languished in slow motion settlement negotiations since a
lower court judge rejected the plaintiff's main case in September 2002.
With El Toro no longer an unincorporated county island, Measure W land use
designations have been supplanted by the City of Irvine's General Plan.
The AWG also sued against Irvine's General Plan EIR
for the Great Park. The alleged flaws in the EIR seem too minor
to result in it being overturned. Most likely, the AWG will ask
for money and some small concessions, as was the case in their
lawsuit settlement with the Department of Defense over the Navy
EIS for El Toro disposal.
The AWG
considered but did not sue LAFCO. However, the group
threatened to do so today or could bring a lawsuit seeking to enjoin
further action by the City of Irvine and possibly the landowner -
the Navy. We will just have to wait and see what legal mischief and
waste of time and money will unfold.
El Toro Info Site report,
January 13, 2004
Wilson: Newport's airport takeover is a
"non-issue"
One way to give bad tasting medicine to a child or
a pet is to mask it in a spoonful of good tasting food. That's what
Newport Beach tried to do with its takeover bid for John Wayne Airport.
Only it didn't work.
The
Newport Beach Aviation Policy Committee prepared a shopping list
of several subjects that the City Council submitted to the County
as "sphere issues" for discussion. At the center was the proposed
takeover of the airport. The County will spit out the bitter airport
pill but is willing to talk about the other more palatable stuff.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom Wilson emailed to
a constituent "The discussion with Newport Beach over JWA will
not happen, simply because it is a non-issue. However, there are
other sphere issues like the Coyote Canyon Landfill which are worthy
of discussion, so a meeting may be held - however, I can assure you
JWA will not be on the agenda."
Wilson will be sending Newport Beach a more formal
response along those same lines. The refusal
to discuss a change in John Wayne airport's status reflects the position
of most Board members.
LA Times, January 13, 2004
"Aloha Airlines Applies for JWA-to-D.C.
Route"
"Aloha Airlines has applied to the U.S. Department
of Transportation for two daily nonstop flights from John Wayne
Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport."
"If approved, the route would provide the only nonstop
service between Washington, D.C., and Orange County, airline
officials said. The new flights would begin July 1."
Website Editor: Congress created exemptions in
November that will allow airlines to offer six more daily direct
round-trip flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
and Western U.S. points beyond a 1,250-mile perimeter.
American Airlines applied to start daily direct service
between Reagan and Los Angeles, and United Airlines filed to offer
two daily direct flights between Reagan and both San Francisco and
Denver. Delta, Alaska, America West, Primaris and Frontier airlines
also filed applications. Clearly, they won't all be approved.
Daily Pilot, January
11, 2004, posted January 12, 2004
"Mesa needs to step up its role in JWA
takeover"
The
Daily Pilot editorializes "The table has been set and
the seating arranged, as Newport Beach politicians prepare to
engage county officials about the possibility of controlling John
Wayne Airport."
"And Costa Mesa leaders are wondering what happened
to their invitations."
"The airport is a county transportation hub and
touches the borders of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and
Irvine. Its jets, with loud roaring engines, share equal time on
flight paths over parts of both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. These
factors, and others, have prompted people to question why Newport
Beach is the only city to possibly have a hand in controlling John Wayne's
future?"
"Costa Mesa must have a voice in the future of
the airport — its residents deserve to have their best interests
represented. If Costa Mesa wants a seat at the table regarding
discussions of the future of John Wayne, it must understand that it
cannot simply crash Newport Beach's get-together, it must host its
own."
Website Editor: We hear from multiple sources
that there is no support for Newport Beach's
takeover bid. The County just needs to get around to
telling everyone "No." Sorry Costa Mesa but the get-together
seems to have been called off. JWA's future impacts
the entire county.
El Toro Info Site report,
January 11, 2004
Meetings this week
On Wednesday, January 14, at 9:00 AM in the
Hall of Administration, the LAFCO will meet to finalize the
annexation of El Toro into the City of Irvine. The Airport Working
Group's request for reconsideration will be considered. Staff
recommends that the request be denied since it does not provide any
"new or different" arguments not previously considered by the commission.
Click
here for the staff report.
On Thursday the 15th at 10:00 AM, SCAG will
hold a public hearing on its Draft 2004 Regional Transportation
Plan, which does not include
an El Toro airport. The meeting is at SCAG headquarters
in Los Angeles.
Also on Thursday, at 4:00 PM, the Airport Land
Use Commission will hold its monthly meeting at the John Wayne
Airport Administration Building in Costa Mesa. The Commission Chairman,
Gerald Breshnahan of Westminster, has refused
to agendize a discussion concerning ALUC's continued application of
military jet noise standards to proposed development around the former
base.
Under
a new law that went into effect on January 1, sellers
of residential property in an "airport influence area" must disclose
the fact. The Orange County ALUC imposes this requirement on
projects near the former El Toro.
LA Times Business Section,
January 9, 2004 - updated
"L.A. Nixed as Virgin Airline Site"
"Virgin USA, a nascent low-cost airline that
flamboyant billionaire Richard Branson wants to start in the
U.S., has eliminated Los Angeles as its possible headquarters
site."
"The airline, which expects to start service
this year, has narrowed possible locations for its headquarters
to San Francisco, Boston and northern Virginia. The company expects
to hire 3,200 employees by 2006. About two-thirds of the employees
would work out of the headquarters, airline executives said."
"Virgin executives declined to say why Los
Angeles was eliminated." Click
for more.
However, a
report on This is London says "Branson rejected the request
because he believes LA is the last place for a hub airline in
the US."
Website Editor: In a letter to Governor
Schwarzenneger, Branson had urged him to encourage LAX officials
to make improvements, including installing passenger gates
capable of accommodating the A380, which will be the world's
biggest passenger plane, and which Virgin Atlantic plans to begin
flying in 2006. Branson said he might consider alternatives,
such as San Francisco International Airport, if LAX fails to
make the improvements.
We also wonder what effect Mayor Hahn's plan
to reduce the number of LAX gates, limit the airport's capacity,
and to create a controversial remote check in facility had on the
decision. Several airlines serving LAX have expressed opposition
to the mayor's plan.
El Toro Info Site report,
January 9, 2004
Much Ado about Nothing
The Daily Pilot ran letters yesterday and
today from readers inflammed by the intramural tug of war between Costa Mesa
and Newport Beach over control of John Wayne Airport. The public
discussion may generate readership for the Daily Pilot but it is
much ado about nothing. Our investigation finds that Newport Beach's
proposal to takeover John Wayne is going no place at the County level.
Newport Beach, having started the long and
costly war over El Toro and having lost it, is now trying to
write the peace treaty. The world doesn't work that way. Those
who spent years trying to convince everyone that Orange County
air travel will skyrocket, and must be accommodated within our county
boundaries [eg. at El Toro], are having difficulty stuffing the
genie back in the bottle.
They would have done better to defend Measure F.
Measure F after all, required that any expansion of John Wayne airport,
as well as any construction of El Toro, would require the approval
of two-thirds of the voters.
Daily Pilot, January 7, 2004
Costa Mesa City Council wrap-up
"The council considered a request from Councilman
Allan Mansoor that the city be included in any discussion between
Newport Beach and the county about the future operation of the
[John Wayne] airport. In November, Newport Beach officials announced
they were creating a Sphere Issues Committee to consider a four-part
plan that includes possibly transferring the operations of the airport
from county to city control."
"The council unanimously approved the request."
"'I also commend Allan Mansoor for showing
some leadership,' said resident Beth Refakes. 'Costa Mesa should
play a major role. Newport Beach has its
own agenda, which probably not in the best interest
of Costa Mesa.'"
OC Register, January
7, 2004
"John Wayne to add 6 gates"
"Modular terminal buildings to be installed
soon at John Wayne Airport will help accommodate 2 million more
passengers expected in the next several years."
"The new terminal building at the north end
of the airport will add three gates and a companion building
at the south end will add three more. The north building
will be in place by the end of the month; the terminal on the
south side of the airport will be installed later."
"Many in Newport Beach and surrounding communities
will be watching the installation of the new gates with foreboding,
fearing yet another escalation of noise and traffic."
"Some members of Stop Polluting Our Newport
have formed a political action committee called Airfair, which
already has a mantra: '10.8 and shut the gate.'"
"The motto is a reference to the 10.8 million
annual passengers that John Wayne can expand to by 2011."
Click for more.
El Toro Info Site report,
January 6, 2004 - updated
Board of Supervisors selects
its officers
The Supervisors met today and unanimously
reelected Tom Wilson as Chairman of the Board. Jim Silva
was named Vice-Chairman.
Wilson hopes to win the Republican nomination
for the California Assembly in March and the election in
November. If successful, he would then leave the Hall of Administration
in November.
Prior to leaving, Wilson could call a new
election for Board Chairman. If he does not, Silva, an El
Toro airport proponent and Great Park opponent would take charge
of a split 2-2 board until a special election can be held in early
2005 to fill the South County vacancy.
Hopefully, the Navy's sale of the base property
will have proceeded sufficiently so that the non-aviation
reuse process can not be impeded.
El Toro Info Site report,
January 5, 2004
FAA: "No objection" to annexation
The Airport Working Group's argument
for
delaying Irvine's annexation of the El Toro property
relied in part of a technical claim that the FAA had not given
explicit approval to the transfer. Irvine attorneys and the LAFCO
staff were satisfied that such approval had been granted through
a series of letters and actions.
Today, we post an FAA letter
clearly showing that the agency has "no objection" to the
annexation of the entire property. It includes the nature
preserve that had been transferred to the FAA when no other
federal agency wanted it.
Daily Pilot, January
5, 2004
"Costa Mesa may weigh in
on JWA plan"
"COSTA MESA — Councilman Allan Mansoor
wants [his] city officials to be included in any discussions
that Newport Beach has with the county on the future operation
of John Wayne Airport."
"Newport Beach City Councilman Steve
Bromberg agreed that Costa Mesa should be kept up to date
and have its concerns about airport operations addressed. But
he stopped short of saying it would have a seat at the discussion
table."
"Newport Beach officials emphasized
they were initially interested in just discussing their [own]
goal with county officials."
"Bromberg suggested the Costa Mesa City
Council form a committee of its own to meet with the [Newport
Beach] Sphere Issues Committee. The Committee has also requested
meetings with officials of the Corridor Cities group, which
includes Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Tustin, Orange and Anaheim, to
let them know about their goal for the airport and to hear about
any concerns they might have, Bromberg said. The committee also intends
to meet with South County officials, Bromberg said."
"Mansoor said he appreciates Newport
Beach's outreach in this respect, but he still believes it's
necessary for Costa Mesa to participate in talks at the county
level." Click
for more.
Website Editor: Irvine borders the
airport on the north and could argue for equal standing
in the matter with Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.
OC Register, January 2,
2004
"Supervisors . . . On last
year and next."
To Tom Wilson, the biggest accomplishment
was this: "The people of Orange County in general have accepted
the idea that El Toro is history. Something other than an airport
will be implemented."
Chuck Smith's biggest disappointment?
"Not getting a commercial airport at the former El Toro Marine
base. Smith's glee – and support – for a Los Angeles proposal
to take over El Toro and operate it as an airport led his colleagues
to boot him from a regional planning board."
Bill Campbell's goals for 2004, "See
the annexation of El Toro by Irvine through to a conclusion."
Complete
articles are posted.
El Toro Info Site Report,
January 1, 2004
The day of the pundits
We posted our
review of 2003 and forecasts for 2004 a couple of
days ago. Today is the day of the print media pundits. For those
who don't subscribe to a handful of newspapers, we have excerpts
from several editorials in our Early Bird thread. Start
by clicking here.
Notable quotes include this resolution
from Irvine Mayor Agran.“To continue to do everything I
can to see to it we achieve the ground-breaking for the Great
Park in 2004.” Irvine Councilman Mike Ward added “I want to
tear up a piece of the runway and put it on my desk.”
Los Angeles Mayor Hahn seemed to
waffle slightly on his plan to remodel but cap the growth
of LAX. Hahn said he recognizes the arguments made against part
of the proposal and says the plans are subject to change. "Nothing
is set in stone," Hahn said."People tell me the airport is going
to grow whether we do anything or not. I think we have to plan for
the growth."
Daily Pilot, January 1, 2004
"What to watch"
"Here are some headlines readers
can expect to see in the Daily Pilot this year."
"DEBATES STRETCH ON ABOUT NEWPORT
CONTROL OF JWA"
"In the fall, Newport Beach leaders
announced they wanted to create what they called a 'Sphere
Issues Committee' . . . that would try to engage county
leaders in a dialogue on a number of county-run operations that
directly touch Newport's borders: the Sheriff's Harbor Patrol,
the Santa Ana Heights Redevelopment Agency, the Coyote Canyon
Landfill, local tidelands and John Wayne Airport."
"City officials say their goal is
to look for opportunities beneficial to the county and
the city — areas where Newport might be able to take some administrative
or financial burdens off the county's hands to provide more
efficient service. But, before the end of this year, it could be
clear whether this will mean taking control of tens of millions
of dollars and several of the most influential county facilities,
and possibly gaining long-term control over airport expansion."
Website Editor: I don't know
about the other stuff that was thrown into the equation
for padding, but Newport Beach control of John Wayne is the
big issue.
The long, costly, and debilitating
fight over El Toro was launched from Newport Beach.
Ongoing efforts to delay non-aviation development of the former
base are orchestrated and funded out of Newport Beach. The under
utilization of John Wayne airport - while insisting that we need
more capacity - is a policy goal of Newport Beach.
Supervisors
Wilson, Campbell, and Norby have to be numb to the sensibilities
of their supporters if they give one minute's thought to
rewarding Newport Beach's actions with this plum.
"Just say No."
2003 - THE EL TORO YEAR IN REVIEW
The long fight over El Toro
nears its conclusion. Here are a few of the stories
that made our website
headlines.
JANUARY - After a seesaw court
battle over the legality of Measure V, Orange County voters
win the right to elect Todd Spitzer's replacement on the Board
of Supervisors. Bill Campbell wins the special election. With
Campbell, Tom Wilson and Chris Norby, El Toro opponents have a
3-2 majority on the board for the first time.
FEBRUARY - The Board of Supervisors
rescinds previous plans for an airport at El Toro.
MARCH - The Board votes, 3-2,
to approve a pre-annexation tax-sharing agreement with
Irvine giving the County 82 percent of the revenue from El
Toro. Supervisors Smith and Silva vote "No".
APRIL - Supervisors vote to
withdraw Orange County from the Orange County Regional
Airport Authority, OCRAA, and the Southern California Regional
Airport Authority, SCRAA.
JUNE - A secret attempt by Los
Angeles to takeover El Toro is revealed. State Senator
Ken Murray introduces a bill in the legislature backing the
plan. Supervisors Smith and Silva write to Transportation Secretary
Mineta, endorsing the attempt to make El Toro an adjunct of
LAX. . The Navy and FAA say "No". In the resultant controversy,
the Board dumps Smith as O.C.'s representative to the Southern
California Association of Governments, SCAG.
The Airport Working Group sues
to try to block Irvine annexation.
JULY - The Board votes, 3-2
to rescinds El Toro-related avigation easements.
SEPTEMBER - Controversy mounts
over LA Mayor Hahn's $9 billion plan to remodel LAX, reduce
the number of gates to restrict its capacity and to build
a remote passenger check in facility.
The Great Park Corporation forms
to manage the park development.
OCTOBER - The Southern California
Association of Governments, SCAG, releases its draft
2004 regional transportation plan. El Toro airport is dropped
from the plan.
NOVEMBER - The Airport Working
Group settles its lawsuit against the Department of
Defense without achieving its goal of delaying the Navy's sale
of the base.
The Local Agency Formation Commission,
LAFCO, approves Irvine's annexation of El Toro.
DECEMBER - The AWG stalls the
annexation into January 2004.
PREDICTIONS FOR 2004:
In 2004, Mayor Hahn's plan for
restricting the growth of LAX will generate more controversy.
LA's
push to reallocate much of the regional air passenger
capacity to other airports will encounter resistance.
Interest in using El Toro will persist.
Despite AWG efforts, Irvine's
annexation of the base will become official and the Navy
will hold its land auction. Completion of the sale, transfer
of title, and the start of demolition of the runways will
drag on considerably
longer than originally expected.
El Toro advocates, including Supervisor Smith and BOS vice-Chairman
Silva, will try to use the additional time
to resurrect their plans. Diehards from Orange County
and Los Angeles will lobby Sacramento and Washington for
an El Toro airport under Los Angeles control. When they
fail, the game finally will be over.
Click here for previous news stories
