FEBRUARY, 2000
FEBRUARY, 2000LA Times, February 29, 2000
“Measure F's Popularity Bodes Ill for an Airport”
“With one week until voters decide, a poll shows that support
remains hefty for the restriction affecting El Toro and other issues.
Among likely voters, 58% would vote 'yes'; 24% would vote 'no.'
“
Website Direct, February 28, 2000
“LIAR, LIAR”
OC Register, February 26, 2000
"A Second Look at Measure F"
LA Times, February 25, 2000
“Irvine Co. Has Reservations About El Toro Land
use:”
“The largest property owner near base says that if noise limits
around the airport cannot be assured,
the project should be abandoned.”
OC Register editorial, February 25, 2000
“PLA time in O.C.”
LA Times, February 25, 2000
“Measure F Backers Raise More Funds”
“Groups collect $424,000 since January. George Argyros makes
a $300,000 loan to pro-airport
campaign.”
Website Direct, February 25, 2000
Laguna Niguel City Newsletter On-Line with Airport
Facts
Website Direct, February 23, 2000
Independent Contractors Rally to Support Measure
F
OC Register, February 23, 2000
“Pilots, cities, homeowners outline views”
“Flight safety, traffic still major concerns.”
Website Direct, February 22, 2000
Both Airline Pilots Associations Object to El Toro
Plan's Safety
ETRPA February 22, 2000
ETRPA Points to DEIR As Fatal
Flaw in Airport Plan
OC Register February 22, 2000
"Fear of noise drives schools' stands on Measure
F"
OC Register February 21, 2000
“Public weighs in on EIR”
“Tuesday is the deadline for questions, comments on county's
plan.”
OC Register Editorial February 20, 2000
“F Troupe, the movie:
“How politics turned a serious airport debate into a bad melodrama”
LA Times, February 20, 2000
"Unions Go to Work to Stop Measure F"
" Labor leaders to open drive with appeals that paint anti-airport
measure as job-killer. They will also stress need for relieving jail crowding
near mostly ethnic neighborhoods."
LA Times, February 18, 2000
"County Won't Hurry Vote on Jail Deal"
"Lawyer tells supervisors they won't have to decide on Musick
expansion before March 7 election."
LA Times, February 17, 2000
“Board supports Measure F”
“Capistrano Unified trustees say noise from proposed El Toro
airport will hurt learning”
OC Register editorial, February 17, 2000
Musick compromise
OC Register, February 16, 2000
“U.S. Navy weighs in on airport”
“ Foes seize on findings of more noise, less economic benefit.
But county calls disparities small.”
LA Times, February 15, 2000
"El Toro Airport Opponents Take Lead in Survey"
"A 56% majority of likely O.C. voters supports the anti-airport
Measure F. With 1 in 4 still undecided, the issue's outcome is inconclusive."
Website Direct, February 14, 2000
Times Editorial Causing Controversy
OC Register, February 14, 2000
“Clergy join opposition to airport”
“El Toro supporters say it's ridiculous to invoke God in the
debate.”
OC Register, February 13, 2000
“El Toro figures differ vastly”
“ Backers and opponents clash on forecasts for passenger demand.”
LA Times, Editorial, February 13, 2000
"El Toro Report Card: A Failure of Process”
Website Direct, February 12, 2000
Musick Jail Agreement Bolsters Anti-Airport Initiative
Irvine World News, February 10, Website posted
February 11, 2000
“Mayor Christina Shea appalled at FAA's lack of
interest in airport views”
OC Register, February 10, 2000
“Airport backers report on noise”
“Business council says proximity not a factor for homebuyers.
Critics say it defies common sense.”
ETRPA Press release, February 8, 2000
JUDGE FINDS COUNTY AIR QUALITY ANALYSIS INADEQUATE
REGARDING EL TORO AIRPORT
OC Register, February 8, 2000
“O.C. labor deal protested”
“The agreement is called unfair and motivated by the supervisors'
airport stance.”
LA Times Op-Ed, February 6, 2000
“Sizing Up Measure F”
OC Register, February 3, 2000
“How toxic is it?”
“The amount of solvent contamination beneath El Toro may be more
than estimated, a new study says.”
OC Register, February 2, 2000
“Argyros lends to airport backers”
“The O.C. millionaire throws cash into an effort to defeat Measure
F.”
(For full articles see L.A. Times at http://www.latimes.com and O.C.
Register at http://www.ocregister.com/news/)
“The front-line group campaigning against Measure F spent $722,000 this year through Feb. 19, according to campaign statements. Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, almost exclusively financed so far by Newport Beach businessman George Argyros, spent most of the funds on campaign literature and cable TV ads.”
“Through Friday, the pro-airport Argyros and his company, Arnel Development, have contributed more than $940,000 in money and in-kind services.”
Editor: Support for Yes on Measure F is coming from thousands of residents. Please rush last minute contributions today to Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities, PO Box 249, El Toro CA 92630.
“A week before the March 7 election, Orange County voters appear ready to pass a ballot measure aimed at preventing a commercial airport at El Toro, despite a campaign blitz by airport advocates who have tried to change their minds, a new poll shows…. Support for the measure remains strong since a separate poll conducted two weeks ago, when 56% of voters said they favored Measure F.”
“ In North County, where support for an airport--and opposition to Measure F--has traditionally been strongest, half of voters now say they will vote for the initiative, with only 28% likely to vote "no." The North County vote is critical because about 70% of the county's registered voters live north of Irvine.”
Pro-airport forces have undertaken a blatantly deceptive campaign claiming that Measure F will cause North county cities, targeted by their mail pieces, “to accept a jail inside city limits.” Measure F does just the opposite, requiring a two-thirds countywide vote before any large County jail can be built within one half mile of residences. Opponents claim, falsely, that Measure F only protects unincorporated areas. In fact, Section 6A of Measure F says the initiative applies to any “actions” by the County to build a jail, including signing leases or making financing decisions - whether on County property or not.
The No on F ads also falsely claim that the League of Women Voters and the OC Register “urge you to reject Measure F.” As readers of the website know, the OC Register supports Measure F and the Orange County League of Women Voters has taken no position, either way on the issue.
The President of the League of Women Voters of Orange County issued a press release on Saturday stating in part, “The League of Women Voters today expressed its outrage over the unauthorized use of its name in an ad [by the No on F campaign]… ‘The ad is totally misleading’, said League President Jean Askham. ‘The League has no position at all on the siting of jails and no position on whether the closed El Toro Marine base should be used for a commercial airport.’”
Write to your local newspapers to protest the deception. Say Yes on F!
Tomorrow's Register editorial says, "When opponents of a proposed El Toro airport introduced Measure F, which would require a two-thirds countywide vote to build airports or jails and hazardous waste dumps near neighborhoods, the Register editorialized against it." However, an extensive reexamination of all of the issues leads the newspaper to write, "But, on balance, Measure F is less flawed than the alternative of letting the airport plan proceed on its current flight path."
Punchline: "That's why we're urging Orange Countians to vote "yes" on Measure F."
Campaign literature from the No on F campaign falsely claims that the Register opposes Measure F.
Opponents also list the League of Women Voters as opposed to the
Measure, prompting the President of the League to write, "A mailer opposing
Measure F which arrived today in Orange County mail boxes listed the League
of Women Voters among the opponents. I was surprised to see it, since I
have had no communication with the Measure F opponents and did not authorize
the League's inclusion in the ad."
LA Times, February 25,
2000
“Irvine Co. Has Reservations About El Toro Land
use:”
“The largest property owner near base says that if noise limits
around the airport cannot be assured, the project should be abandoned.”
“An international airport at El Toro should not be pursued if Orange County officials cannot guarantee strict noise limits to protect residents near the flight path, the Irvine Co. wrote this week to airport planning officials. In the company's strongest comments to date about the proposed airport, Senior Vice President Monica Florian said the county's proposal to limit nighttime flights isn't good enough to protect people from unacceptable airport noise. Moreover, she said, there is serious doubt that the county has the ability to enforce noise reductions at El Toro--or to control any other aspect of airport operations, including prohibiting landings or takeoffs over Irvine.”
“Florian's letter reiterated that the Irvine Co. hasn't taken a position on whether an airport is the best option for the base. However, the company's strong language appears to signal the company's frustration with the county planning effort… Airport foes, meanwhile, said they were ‘very encouraged’ by the company's aggressive stance.”
The Register continues to chastise pro-airport supervisors Charles Smith, Jim Silva and Cynthia Coad, who “probably didn't anticipate the amount of backlash that occurred after they voted last month to grant union contractors a monopoly over nearly every county works project over five years…. The three Republican supervisors are believed to have voted for the deal to gain more active help from the union in securing needed federal approvals for the El Toro airport and for securing grassroots help to defeat Measure F."
"As we see it, the PLA was an example of the way the three supervisors have allowed their desire for an airport to cloud their judgment on other issues, causing them to sacrifice the county's interests time and again.”
“Two groups promoting a March 7 ballot measure they hope will halt planning for a commercial airport at El Toro have collected $424,338 since January, according to financial reports filed Thursday with the registrar of voters. The Safe and Healthy Communities Fund, run by Irvine resident Ed Dornan, took in $253,434 and had $28,752 left to spend, according to its report. Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities, chaired by Laguna Hills attorney Jeffrey Metzger, collected $170,904 and had $512,747 left to spend, thanks to aggressive fund-raising in the last half of 1999.”
“The main group opposing the anti-airport initiative reported receiving a $300,000 loan from Orange County businessman George Argyros. The loan brings Argyros' total to $487,000 loaned to the effort to defeat Measure F.”
The City of Laguna Niguel has taken a lead in informing its residents by posting the city's latest informational brochure about El Toro on-line. The facts about overflight impacts are relevant to other neighboring communities.
A coalition of independent contractors and a group of Measure F supporters gathered in the rain in Orange today as the non-union contractors handed over checks to help fund the Yes on F campaign. The contractors oppose a recent project labor agreement (PLA) between the County and union leaders, which gives 85 percent of all County public works projects to union workers.
According to Eric Christen, who heads the contractor’s coalition, "The PLA will force small and minority contractors out of business in Orange County. In an effort to curry favor with the unions to support the airport, the board majority has dealt a death blow to many contractors and injured local working families." Approximately 80 percent of Orange County construction workers are not union members
“Airline pilots unions have long been skeptical of county plans for an El Toro airport. Cities and residents opposed to the airport long ago made up their minds about it, too. In comments on the county's latest El Toro environmental impact report, they restated many of these concerns” See story below for details.
“The airline pilots. Jon Russell, Western Pacific regional safety chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents 55,000 pilots, and Allied Pilots Association President Richard T. LaVoy, representing 9,000 American Airlines pilots, both focused mostly on safety. ‘Poor planning, poor design and less than desirable topography will haunt this airport indefinitely,’ Russell wrote. ‘Fairy dust and a magic wand will not cure the (air traffic control) issues plaguing El Toro/OCX’”
Editor: The Irvine Company, in 17 pages of comments, wrote, “Though the DEIR provides volumes of information, we do not believe that the DEIR has achieved … fundamental obligations – obligations which we believe must be met before a final and credible decision can be made by the County and its residents about the appropriate reuse of El Toro.”
In comments submitted to the County regarding the El Toro EIR, the nation’s two commercial airline pilots organizations raise serious safety concerns.
A February 15 letter from the President of the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American Airlines pilots, objects to both the proposed easterly and northerly takeoffs. Captain Rich LaVoy writes, “The proposed departure paths at El Toro airport are completely unacceptable to the pilots, and no one has the authority to override the pilots' decision to use the safest runways for takeoff or landing.”
A February 16 letter from the Western Pacific Regional Safety Chairman of the 60,000 member Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) goes into detail regarding safety issues with east departures, north departures, bird strike and wildlife hazards, poor runway design, wind and weather factors, and air traffic control considerations in the crowded regional airspace. “ALPA feels the problems or safety fires at El Toro/OCX rage out of control. The attempt to mitigate these fires has led to an airport plan that ignores both safety and common sense… ALPA believes that the forces in this plan working against safety could take life and limb”
Click here for a sumary of ETRPA comments submitted just prior to the end of the EIR public comment period today.
"El Toro Airport opponents say the forums held in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa schools are a scare tactic to try to drum up anti-Measure F votes, and that the possibility that John Wayne Airport would be expanded is slim. Airport proponents contend that there will be increased demand for air travel in Orange County, and some airport must absorb that. If El Toro isn't built, then it surely will be John Wayne, they say.
"'There's a fear factor that's been introduced here,' said county Supervisor Thomas Wilson, who represents south county and Newport Beach and is one of two board members opposed to an airport at El Toro. 'Implementing those options is a far-fetched idea. If El Toro hadn't closed, no one would be pressuring for expansion of JWA because the demand isn't there.'"
"Supervisor Wilson said the JWA expansion alternatives never should have been part of the El Toro equation in the first place. He and Supervisor Todd Spitzer were on the losing end of a 3-2 vote last year to ax the options from the EIR. Wilson said he doesn't favor an El Toro airport or a JWA expansion."
“Metrolink [is] among more than 50 people and groups who have written county officials about the 10,000-page draft environmental-impact report on the proposed airport. The 60 letters and seven e-mails that have come in so far, along with anything else that beats the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline, must be included in the county's answers in its final EIR.”
“Most of the letters, handwritten or typed by south Orange County residents, express opposition to an El Toro airport or ask critical questions. They target aircraft noise, the 244 tanker trucks that would deliver jet fuel each day and traffic congestion. The big guns in the anti-airport camp, such as [ETRPA] a coalition of eight south county cities, are expected to submit their questions and comments just before deadline.”
“Written comments can be addressed to: El Toro Master Development Program, County Hall of Administration, 10 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701. E-mails of 500 words or less can be sent to EIR573@ceo.hoa.co.orange.ca.us.”
Todays OC Register poll question.
Do you think an El Toro airport would have major impacts?
Call before 6:30 PM TODAY, 714.550.4636 ext.7261
To vote YES press 1.
Steven Greenhut, Register editorial writer, pokes fun at all sides but brands the El Toro issue “serious business” and “a case study in bad public policy, wasteful spending and less-than-forthright decision making”. Unlike the wishful thinking expressed in last Sunday’s Times editorial, the Register acknowledges that “opponents to the airport have precious few alternatives left if they want to protect their neighborhoods.”
Moving away from its previous doctrinaire opposition to Measure F, the Register now takes a more pragmatic view. “So how should Orange Countians vote on Measure F? Simple... Vote “yes” if you don’t want the airport and “no” if you do want it.”
"Union activists are mobilizing behind the fight to defeat an anti-El Toro Airport measure as the campaign enters its final two weeks with both sides focused on pivotal undecided voters. Union leaders are painting Measure F as a job killer…The unions' involvement has a single goal: to engage its members against a measure that many have ignored…Latino union activists said they will spread the message that the measure would make it tougher to relieve overcrowding at county jails, most located within blocks of ethnic neighborhoods in Santa Ana and Orange."
"Supporters of Measure F, meanwhile, stress … that the ballot initiative is the only way to protect the public from an overbearing county government set on building unwanted projects despite the objections of the people most affected by them. The union involvement will backfire, they predict, because voters will see it is a payoff for the Board of Supervisors' decision last month to hand unions 85% of future public works projects for the next five years, including the $2.8-billion airport."
"So far, the bulk of the spending against Measure F has come from Orange County millionaire George Argyros, who has spent more than $2 million promoting the airport since 1994. Bruce Nestande, chairman of Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, the group Argyros formed in 1994, declined to say how much more money Argyros would commit to the campaign."
The OC Register Daily poll asks, Would you vote to overturn the
decision that workers on county projects be hired through unions?
886 responded, 79% said YES.
"Orange County supervisors do not have to act before the March 7 election on a proposal to allow limited expansion of [Musick] a County jail in Lake Forest County Counsel Laurence Watson said Thursday.... Watson said he erred when he told the supervisors the deal had to be accepted by a judge by March 7 or risk being nullified by Measure F."
"[Board of Supervisors Chairman Charles]Smith said city officials have insisted that the board act before March 7 and 'let us know the deal was off the table if we didn't.'"
Editor:- The pro-airport members on the Board are playing airport politics with the jail issue. If the year-long negotiation between the Sheriff and the cities, to provide more jail space, falls apart, the blame should fall on Smith, Silva and Coad.
“The board Monday unanimously voted to back the Safe and Healthy Communities initiative, which will appear on the March 7 ballot. The board’s resolution cites studies suggesting that children in schools where planes often fly overhead do not learn to read as well… more than 96% of the planes that would arrive at the airport [at El Toro] would fly at low altitudes over schools.”
“Will Orange County's three pro-airport supervisors take advantage of an unprecedented opportunity to address the county's shortage of jail space, or will a hard-fought compromise jail plan fall victim to a county strategy to pursue an airport at El Toro?”
Supervisor Todd Spitzer supports an agreement between Lake Forest, Irvine and the Sheriff for a smaller expansion of Musick jail than the three North County Supervisors want. “The Measure F initiative on the March 7 ballot has created this opportunity for a jail solution, he said. But he believes that the pro-airport supervisors face pressure by airport supporters to scotch the deal because a jail solution disarms the main argument against Measure F - that it would halt county efforts to house its prisoners.”
“So it's a tricky situation, especially for the pro-airport supes… Giving the final OK to the jail compromise takes away their main argument against Measure F - and they have staked a lot of political capital on pushing through El Toro. This is about as good a deal as anyone can imagine, and the best alternative to years of litigation. … the supervisors should approve it.”, says the Register.
Click here to write to the Register. Support the Musick agreement and Yes on Measure F. Measure F takes control away from three supervisors who are playing airport politics with the jail issue.
“A new Navy report appears to find that an El Toro airport will create noise for more neighbors and provide fewer economic benefits than predicted by the county, further clouding the debate over the airport plan… Airport opponents, who provided The Orange County Register with an advance copy of the report Tuesday, seized upon it as evidence that their Millennium Plan alternative — a mix of homes, businesses, and open space — is the best choice for El Toro.”
“The Navy [Draft Environmental Impact Study] report drops into that debate almost by default. It is a mandatory step in order for the federal government to dispose of a closed base. Though it states that the preferred alternative for the property is the county's choice — an airport — the final decision remains with the county. Navy officials refused to discuss the study until Friday when it officially will be released to the public.”
Among the Navy's findings: Noise could create ‘disproportionate impacts to the health and safety of children’" and that children could have ‘learning difficulties in residential areas.’ Aircraft operations have the ‘potential to violate the state and national standards’ for two kinds of air pollution. The economic benefits of an international airport can be viewed as the ‘tradeoff’ for the environmental effects.”
“[Airport] opponents questioned why the Navy released its draft report now, before the Federal Aviation Administration has completed its environmental impact statement on the airport plan. Mitch Barker, an FAA spokesman, said the agency expects to release its environmental review after the Navy completes its final report, which is expected sometime this fall.”
"For the first time in four years, support for an international airport at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station has eroded, according to a new poll, raising questions about the outcome of one of the most controversial land-use debates in Orange County history. The poll, commissioned by The Times' Orange County edition, found that most county voters--52%--now oppose a new airport at the former Marine base." Only 33% of voters support the airport proposal. The remainder don't know. Opposition is stronger than support in both the North and South.
Regarding Measure F, "Overall, 56% of likely voters said they support the anti-airport measure, with 18% opposed. However, a sizable portion of the electorate--26%--remain undecided about Measure F, which requires a simple majority to pass… The measure would effectively halt airport planning."
"The biggest--and perhaps most surprising--swing in airport sentiment occurred in North County, where support for the proposed airport has traditionally been strongest. The poll suggests that many voters there are less convinced than ever about the need for the airport.
"Some observers said the poll results indicated a larger anti-county government movement afoot. Voters throughout Orange County are rejecting an overbearing county planning process trying to build an intrusive new airport that most residents don't believe is necessary, said Yes on F leader Jeffrey Metzger. 'There is an overall sense that the county is trying to shove something down the throats of citizens,' Metzger said."
Perceived contradictions in yesterday’s LA Times editorial are creating controversy. In one of the best indictments ever published against the County’s airport planning, the Times called for removing control of the airport project from the Board of Supervisors’ "inept" hands.
However, the editorial also opposed Measure F, even though it is the currently the only available tool for removing control from the Supervisors’ hands. The Times offered only wishful thinking about other means to stop the airport steamroller. Without a Yes on F vote, we may never have a chance to force the planning process reforms hoped for by the editorial. To write to the Times click here.
“God hasn't weighed in on whether an airport should be built at the former El Toro base. But 80 members of the clergy have. Some of them will be at the Orange County Board of Supervisors' meeting … to tell the panel majority favoring a commercial airfield that they ought to first consider a biblical passage, 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself,'”
“Reverend John Steward of Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Mission Viejo and the Rev. Jack Hennings Jr. of Faith Episcopal Church in Laguna Niguel have lined up pastors, rabbis and priests to form an anti-airport group called Clergy for Wholesome Communities.”
The pastors' stance is simple: South county residents don't want an
airport. The clergy in the north say it wouldn't be right to plop an unwanted
facility into their neighbors' laps.
"I think it's one of those places to be passionate for others," said
Jeffray Greene, 42, who lives in Brea and is the head pastor at Emanuel
Lutheran Church in La Habra.
“Scoffed Charles Smith, the Board of Supervisors chairman and an airport supporter: ‘Give me a break. Somebody pulling God in to make his point? I think that's way out of line. But we'll treat them with respect like we would any other citizen.’"
“Debate over future demand for air travel in Southern California is one of the key battlefields in the fight over El Toro. Both sides crunch the numbers to prove their points.”
“By 2020, nearly every Orange County traveler will use El Toro or John Wayne airports, according to county airport planners. They believe El Toro and John Wayne would provide such a wide range of destinations that 97 percent of those flying to and from the county will use local airports… ‘Some would like to argue it's less, so that the need to build airports is less,’ said El Segundo Mayor Mike Gordon, who wants an El Toro airport to ease the pressure to expand Los Angeles International Airport.”
“Opponents of the proposed El Toro airport scoff at the notion that county residents and visitors will abandon well-established airports such as LAX and Ontario in favor of the county airfields.”
“County documents conclude that El Toro will serve 28.8 million passengers while John Wayne will shrink … to 5.4 million. In 1998, the county had a demand of 12.5 million passengers, the [EIR] documents state. About 7.5 million used John Wayne Airport. The other 5 million flew out of airports outside the county, mostly LAX and Ontario.”
The Times editorial opposes both Measure F and the County’s handling of the El Toro reuse project, which is “arguably is the most flawed major public planning exercise in the history of the county.”
“It seems unthinkable that the directly affected communities, one of which [Irvine] has part of the base within its city limits, have been cut out of the process. But that is what has happened… It is terrible that it has come to this, and the county has been let down by the inept leadership on this issue by the board majority.”
“The federal base reuse process is crucial to understanding this community crisis and how to resolve it. The Department of Defense has charged the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) specifically with the task of building consensus, and with having ‘the complete support of local jurisdictions and interests groups.’ This has not occurred at El Toro.”
“…We come to the county's credibility as planning agent. There is a seven-year record of evasiveness on the unresolved operational questions… The two-airport system as planned, El Toro and John Wayne airports, is essentially a political construction. One never would set out to design such a thing unless ministering to warring constituencies required it. In a way, this is like planning airports by gerrymandering. The plan flies in the face of the logic that says airlines won't want to serve the same immediate area out of two airports.”
“The county's lack of forthrightness about all this is stunning... The county continues to encourage wishful thinking, to low-ball impacts, to compare apples with oranges and to hold its finger to the wind to determine what would be salable… The failure to level with the citizens is a breech of public trust.”
“ Replace the Local Redevelopment Authority with a newly constituted group that reflects not just the county interests but those of local adjacent communities. The original LRA could be restored, with supervisors, the city of Irvine and Lake Forest, or other nearby communities could be included too. This is most likely to happen either through successful litigation, or by federal legislation. Don't count on the supervisors to correct the process… The supervisors have demonstrated that they are incapable of getting this right by themselves. The only way an airport can be designed to be acceptable to surrounding communities is to include them directly in the planning process.”
Editor: We regret the Time’s decision to oppose Measure F, since we see no other practical way to stop the Board of Supervisor’s headlong dash to build the airport. The editorial writers fail to offer much - besides wishful thinking that litigation or federal legislation will fix the problem before it is too late. We urge website viewers to relay the editorial to your congressional representatives with an appeal that they act to remove control over the base reuse from the “inept” hands of the Board of Supervisors.
An agreement, reached this week between the Cities of Irvine and Lake Forest and the Orange County Sheriff will settle litigation over a Musick jail expansion and simultaneously undercut El Toro airport proponents’ main argument against Measure F. Measure F, the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative would require the Board of Supervisors to obtain approval of two-thirds of County voters before building a commercial airport, hazardous waste landfill or large jail near homes. A Yes on Measure F could kill the El Toro airport plan.
Opponents of Measure F apparently have concluded that they can not win against the measure without attacking its jail provisions. Their entire campaign is focussed on bogus claims that the initiative will turn criminals loose on the streets for lack of jail space. The Musick agreement eliminates this argument by providing additional interim capacity until the year 2015, by which time it is expected that a new jail will be built in a remote area of the County.
The initiative is credited with forcing the parties to the negotiating table to end a long legal impasse over Musick. The Board of Supervisors now must approve the agreement. It is likely that the three member pro-airport faction on the Board may stall implementation of the Agreement until after the March 7 election. However, the onus of failing to provide needed jail beds will then fall on them.
“Several [Irvine] city officials, including the mayor, went to Washington, D.C., last week to voice the city's concerns about the county plan to construct an airport at the abandoned El Toro air base. Most of the federal officials were friendly, listening intently and promising to help where they could, city officials said. Others weren't so receptive.”
“ Mayor Christina Shea specifically spoke of Federal Aviation Administration officials, who said they do not plan to read the county's airport master plan after the environmental impact report's public comment period ends. ‘The FAA reversed its promise that it would prepare a new environmental impact statement in addition to the report prepared by the county,’ said Shea. ‘Instead they're only going to add their findings as 'supplemental,' and they're not planning on even looking at the county's airport master plan…. I find their behavior irresponsible.’”
"I suggest to all of you in the public, that you take pen in hand, write letters and let your congressional representatives and presidential candidates know about your dissatisfaction." said Councilman Greg Smith.
“A proposed airport at El Toro would have no effect on property values — or could even increase the value of homes close to the airport, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Orange County Business Council. The report drew immediate criticism from Realtors in south Orange County.”
"’The data was unequivocal,’ said Thomas P. Merrick, chairman of the business coalition that supports economic development in the county. ‘Some people are bothered by almost any noise, but statistically, an airport has no impact,’ he said. ‘There are essentially no people that object to a 65 CNEL level.’…Noise experts generally disagree”, with the OCBC’s claim.
“The council's 37-page report acknowledges thatmost studies found noise to be a big influence on homebuyers. ‘With everything else being equal,’ the report states, ‘buyers tend to pay more for quieter residential neighborhoods.’"
“ Rick Jenkins, a Coldwell Banker Realtor and president of the Laguna Board of Realtors, said the council report could not be accurate. ‘The very fact that anyone can make a statement that an airport would have no impact on property values is absolutely preposterous. It defies common sense.’"
“The survey was mailed in September to 2,158 Orange County homebuyers and drew responses from 420. It did not include people who may have opted out of the real estate market until the airport issue is settled.”
“About 62 percent of respondents said Orange County needs one commercial airport: John Wayne. Roughly 31 percent favored operating two airports, while 5 percent said John Wayne should be shut down to allow El Toro to operate alone.”
Superior Court Judge Judith McConnell today blasted the air quality analysis in the County of Orange’s original Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for an airport at El Toro concluding: "regional air quality impacts of the proposed El Toro airport will be significant."
The ruling pertains to the county’s first Environmental Impact Report for the proposed airport at El Toro. ETRPA and Taxpayers for Responsible Planning had successfully sued on a number of issues related to this environmental study. The county subsequently had to redo significant portions of the document.
Since the county’s most recent EIR 573 was a second tier analysis based on the 1996 EIR, this ruling is significant. According to Paul D. Eckles, Executive Director of ETRPA, "This is a major setback for the county planning process and a validation that the negative impacts from this proposed airport will be significant and wide-spread."
The court complained that the county’s proposed mitigation measures do not address aircraft emissions at all except ground operations. "The Supplemental Analysis reports, without any factual analyses that this enormous pollution would be mitigated to a less than significant level." McConnell adds, "The County failed to consider regional air pollution as a significant unmitigated impact when it adopted its Statement of Overriding Considerations."
Today’s ruling means that the County will have to conduct more air quality analysis. In denying the County’s writ of mandate, Judge McConnell stated: "Nothing in the record supports the EIR’s conclusion that the air pollution generated by the air traffic will be mitigated to a level less than significant."
“More than 150 nonunion contractors and their employees gathered Monday at the Hall of Administration to urge supervisors to reverse their sudden decision last month to require that most county public works jobs go to union contractors. Their message: The board's decision was costly for taxpayers and cruel to nonunion workers, and was pushed through with inadequate notice. They also said it was obviously motivated by political considerations related to the proposed El Toro airport.”
“The union deal, known as a project labor agreement, or PLA, was approved by supervisors Jan. 11 on a 3-2 vote — just four days after details of the pact first surfaced. In a county where an estimated 80 percent of building-trade employees are nonunion, the PLA requires that 85 percent of workers on nearly all county public-works projects be hired through local unions.”
Pro-airport Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad “insisted that the accord was not an attempt to buy organized labor's backing for their push to build an El Toro airport — which would be the biggest county public-works project ever… However, even some airport backers concede that the PLA has turned into a public-relations nightmare… The [Orange county Republican] party's central committee made a rare direct foray into county politics Jan. 17 by voting overwhelmingly to rebuke the supervisors — all Republicans — for betraying GOP ideals.”
Editor:- The Supervisors' deal with organized labor is seen by informed observers as part of an effort to win Administration support in Washington for hurrying the airport project along. County planners are lobbying the federal government to release a draft environmental report, supporting the aviation reuse of El Toro, prior to the March 7 election. To write to Congress about this, click here.
Side-by-side articles present the pro and con sides of Measure F.
Leonard Kranser, Editor of this website, writes under the sub-headline “Initiative would empower people, not bureaucrats, and protects quality of life”. He addresses three messages: Yes on F will stop the airport, it protects residents from jail construction within one half mile of homes, and its two-thirds vote requirement is democratic. “Measure F restores fairness to county planning. Three supervisors have squandered nearly $50 million developing various schemes for creating our very own Inglewood in the heart of Orange County. No wonder a Los Angeles Times poll found that 65% of the people want another vote on El Toro. The only way to give people that vote is to approve Measure F.”
Wayne Quint, Jr. President of the Assn. Of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs provides the rebuttal under the heading “Passage would limit jail construction and could force the release of convicts.” He focuses entirely only on the initiative’s requirement that voters approve any jail construction of 1,000 or more beds within one half mile of residences. Saying that this would make jail siting difficult and might cause construction of multiple small jails, he says, “We believe that Measure F is flawed. If it passes, thousands of convicted criminals could be released from jail to prey on unsuspecting law-abiding citizens.”
“The Navy may have drastically underestimated the amount of toxic contamination beneath the former El Toro Marine base, a new study by the city of Irvine shows — a finding that, if proved, could complicate base-reuse plans and sharply increase cleanup costs… After analyzing years of Navy records, the city and its consultants, PES Environmental Inc., contend that the Navy is wrong in its estimate that 8,000 pounds of toxic cleaning solvents leached into the soil and ground water beneath the base. Instead, 70,000 to 700,000 pounds of solvent may have leaked from old, faulty sewer pipes throughout the base during its 56-year life, the report says.”
“The city wants the Navy to spend roughly $50,000 to sink test borings into the soil around the base to learn if suspicions about increased contamination are correct. If significant contamination is discovered, it could disrupt base-reuse plans.”
Editor: The State of California recently refused to accept jurisdiction over the property, citing concerns about environmental issues. That decision was a key factor in delaying the start of interim cargo flights.
“Millionaire developer George Argyros is back in the battle over an El Toro airport, loaning $172,000 to the campaign to defeat the anti-airport Measure F on the March 7 ballot. Argyros made the loan … on Jan. 21… during the period covered by campaign statements filed this week.”
“The three main groups behind Measure F — Citizens For Safe and Healthy Communities, the Safe and Healthy Communities Fund, and Taxpayers For Responsible Planning — raised $212,739 combined during the period covered by campaign statements.”
Supporters of the Yes on Measure F campaign, designed to stop the El Toro Airport, “remain concerned, though, that Argyros — who put more than $2 million of his own money into two previous votes on El Toro — will quickly outspend them as the campaign kicks into higher gear next week with the distribution of absentee ballots.”
Editor: Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities is the lead organization
that organized the collection of over 192,000 signatures to qualify Measure
F and is now coordinating the Yes on F campaign. CSHC operates a
campaign headquarters at 25381 Alicia Parkway, Suite O in Laguna Hills
where volunteers are making calls and distributing yard signs, bumper stickers
and literature.
To help, call 949-768-4583.
Mail contributions to:
Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities, PO Box 249, El Toro
92630.
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