NEWS - March 2003

Today's Headlines - click on date for full story 

El Toro Info Site report, March 31, 2003
Anti-airport agenda waits another month

LA Times, March 28, 2003
"3 Law Agencies Exploring Flight Hub"

WSJ, March 25, 2003 posted March 26
"Airline Traffic Declines 10% Since the War in Iraq Began"

El Toro Info Site report, March 25, 2003
FAA forecasts 2003-2014
SCAG tries to predict 2030

El Toro Info Site report, March 24, 2003
Slowing progress on airport issues

Associated Press, March 22, 2003, posted March 23
"National Guard units expected to boost LA airport security"

El Toro Info Site report, March 22, 2003
Anti-airport message boards take tandem dive

El Toro Info Site report, March 21, 2003
Airport Land Use Commission ducks

Irvine World News, March 20, 2003, posted March 21
"Time running out for base users"

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, March 19, 2003
"ONT rated one of nation's best alternate airports"

OC Register, March 18, 2003
"Labor interests want rehearing"

Daily Pilot, March 18 2003
"Newport developers set sights on El Toro"
"Several companies, including Koll Co., plan to bid on some of the closed base's 3,400 acres."

El Toro Info Site report, March 15, 2003
Unraveling El Toro
County lobbyists need new marching orders

El Toro Info Site report, March 13, 2003
JWA hits 8 million annual passengers mark

Irvine World News, March 13, 2003
"Central Park caretaker admires vision for El Toro"

LA Times, March 12, 2003
"ONT passenger traffic continues its ascent"

El Toro Info Site report, March 10, 2003
"Doing the Wright Stuff" 
Conference examines history of aviation and the environment

El Toro Info Site report, March 7, 2003
SCAG hits a snag in attempt to implement regional aviation plan

El Toro Info Site report, March 6, 2003
Great Park Community Forum Tuesday

El Toro Info Site report, March 5, 2003
What a year!!!

OC Register, March 5, 2003
"Cultivating plans"
"Irvine officials considering how to create Great Park habitat."

El Toro Info Site report, March 4, 2003
Supervisors act today on pre-annexation agreement

Daily Pilot, March 4, 2003
"Last hurdle for [JWA] flight restrictions cleared"

El Toro Info Site report, March 3, 2003
Court of Appeals upholds Measure V
Campbell retains seat as third anti-airport vote

LA Times editorial, March 2, 2003
"Jail Gambit Tarnishes Irvine"

El Toro Info Site report, March 1, 2003
LAX non-expansion to receive expedited environmental processing

El Toro Info Site report, March 1, 2003
Annexation back on the agenda

Click here for earlier news.

El Toro Info Site report, March 31, 2003
Anti-airport agenda waits another month

Several items of interest to anti-El Toro grass roots and ETRPA leaders will have to wait for another month before they come before the Board of Supervisors for action.

Items once identified for completion in March, but left undone, include a resolution of the status of the Southern California Regional Airport Authority, finalization of the County Legislative Policy, and rescinding of the avigation easements near El Toro. The County continues its inactive but official membership in OCRAA, the pro-El Toro Orange County Regional Airport Authority, which is one of the litigants seeking to overturn Measure W.

There are no El Toro matters on tomorrow's Board agenda. Chris Norby will be on vacation next week, and then the Board is dark April 15th and 22nd. A workshop on April 22 will grapple with the Legislative policy and then the next regularly scheduled Board  meeting will be on April 29th.

On February 25th, the Board voted, 3-2, to send a resolution to the Airport Land Use Commission to change the land restrictions around El Toro. We wait to see whether ALUC again avoids action on that matter at its regularly scheduled April meeting.
LA Times, March 28, 2003
"3 Law Agencies Exploring Flight Hub"

"The Los Angeles and Orange county sheriff's departments and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration are considering a plan to create a mutual hub for their aircraft at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos."

"What makes the idea especially appealing is that the military base is regarded as a major component in the Southland's homeland security plan, said Assemblyman Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach), who supports the idea."

"The base airfield was used as an assembly area to respond to the Los Angeles riots, the Northridge earthquake, the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and for the 1984 Summer Olympics and a variety of emergency preparedness exercises."

"Los Alamitos is one of the most active military airfields in the U.S."

Website Editor: Proponents of an El Toro airport have used fear of the possible expansion of Los Alamitos operations or future aviation use of the nearby Seal Beach Naval Weapons Center to create support for OCX amongst residents of this section of Orange County.
WSJ, March 25, 2003 posted March 26
"Airline Traffic Declines 10% Since the War in Iraq Began"

"Passenger traffic on U.S. airlines since the war with Iraq began is down more than 10% from the year-earlier period, according to internal industry numbers, and with bookings for future trips plunging, governments in the U.S., Canada and Europe all moved closer to propping up air carriers Tuesday."

"Traffic in the days leading up to war was down 3% to 5%, industry officials said. Though modest, any drop from last year's very weak traffic represents more pain for a devastated industry."

"In Washington, congressional leaders signaled a new willingness to help airlines weather the impact of war."

See more on airline traffic in the story below.
El Toro Info Site report, March 25, 2003
FAA forecasts 2003-2014
SCAG tries to predict 2030

This month's update of the FAA 10-year forecast for commercial aviation states, "The uncertainties and challenges confronting the aviation industry have become considerably more complex and difficult to quantify.  Nevertheless, the FAA has developed a set of assumptions and forecasts we believe are consistent with recent trends and expected changes in the aviation industry."

"The industry may bear very little resemblance to the structure that was in place before September 11th, both in cost structure and its cast of players. Levels of demand are not expected to reach previous long-term growth rates."

"The risks inherent in this year’s forecasts are largely on the downside.  Prominent in everyone’s predictions of future aviation demand is the assumption that there will not be another terrorist incident aimed at U.S. aviation."

"Also, we have not assumed a war with Iraq nor a major contraction of the industry through bankruptcy or consolidation."

Meanwhile, the Southern California Association of Governments is attempting to forecast regional airport needs through 2030.
El Toro Info Site report, March 24, 2003
Slowing progress on airport issues

Two of the most important El Toro related issues were settled at the Board of Supervisors when the Airport System Master Plan was rescinded and a tax transfer agreement was reached with Irvine. However, the Board will meet this week without any scheduled action on several remaining airport matters.

Back on February 14 we reported Supervisor Tom Wilson's responses to constituents on two such items.
"Now that I am the representative for SCRAA, I am trying to get a quorum (which as you know has been difficult lately) to vote to disband SCRAA."

"OCRAA will not be on the next Board Meeting agenda, but we are working on this."
A grass roots-initiated move to rescind avigation easements on homes near El Toro reportedly is being delayed in the Planning Department.

The Airport Land Use Commission has yet to meet to act on a Board of Supervisors request to remove airport land use restrictions in the area. The request apparently took three weeks to work its official way from the Board through the Clerk's office over to ALUC's office at John Wayne Airport.

Efforts to change the county's lobbying goals will be discussed by the supervisors at a workshop a month from now.
Associated Press, March 22, 2003, posted March 23
"National Guard units expected to boost LA airport security"

"California National Guard units likely will be deployed at Los Angeles International Airport amid concerns by officials that security at the state's top terrorism target remains inadequate, state authorities said Saturday."

"Mayor James Hahn formally asked [Governor] Davis Saturday that troops be deployed at the airport, which tops a list of 624 potential terrorism targets recently identified by the state attorney general's office."

"Hahn cited an assessment by Adm. David Stone, the Transportation Security Administration's federal security director for the airport, that security level at the facility remain inadequate, despite the increased numbers of police deployed since the onset of the Iraqi war."

"No other airports have requested the National Guard."
El Toro Info Site report, March 22, 2003
Anti-airport message boards take tandem dive

Opponents of El Toro airport found themselves at loose ends for a place to sound off this weekend when both the El Toro Info Site message board and the Chronicles board went down on Friday night. The tandem dive was pure coincidence due to different technical causes unrelated to any developments in Iraq.

This website is operating normally except for the message board, which will be down for a while longer until the technical problem is solved.
El Toro Info Site report, March 21, 2003
Airport Land Use Commission ducks

On February 25, the Board of Supervisors voted to rescind the Airport System Master Plan for El Toro. Part of the Board resolution states "Submit resolution to the Airport System Land Use Commission for preparation of the Airport Environs Land Use Plan to reflect this action." ALUC has yet to change the land use plan.

Last December, the ALUC refused to remove aviation-related restrictions placed on land near El Toro.

The commission cancelled its March meeting which was scheduled for yesterday. The next meeting of the ALUC is scheduled for April 17 and it will be interesting to see how long the group can continue to duck taking the action directed by the Board of Supervisors.

Click here for official information on the commission and its membership.
Irvine World News, March 20, 2003, posted March 21
"Time running out for base users"

"As the sale of the 4,600-acre El Toro base approaches and the plan for a Great Park unfolds, businesses and organizations leasing space and buildings on the base must now look elsewhere. Many of the leases will expire in June, and some of the lessees will be able to extend their terms until the property is sold later, said Navy spokesperson Lee Saunders."

"Many of those on the base, including the airplane modelers group, an RV storage company, a state university campus and a stable for horses, entered into leases with the county about five years ago."

"The county took control of the land in the hopes that an airport would be built, but later asked to get out of their master lease agreement and handed the care of the base back to the Navy on July 1, said Dan Jung, [Irvine] city director of strategic programs."

"With the transfer of the master lease agreement, the control of the base and the lease agreements became the responsibility of the Navy."

"California State University Fullerton, which opened its campus in the fall with 2,400 students, expects an increase to 3,200 students next fall."

"Their lease . . . transferred on to the Navy when it took control of the base from the county. The college is leasing about 11 acres where a wing command headquarters was once located. There are 20 classrooms, a bookstore and a coffee shop on the campus. The lease is longer than most others on the base, and will end in 2005."

"But the college wants a longer lease and more land and is scrambling to negotiate a deal before the Navy sells the property to developers. Cal State Fullerton is negotiating . . .  for more land and an extended lease, said campus Director Dr. George Giacumakis. . . If the Navy extends the lease, the developer will be forced to honor the agreement, said Giacumakis."

"The land the campus occupies sits on 275 acres the city proposes to zone for educational uses. The developer who buys the land must honor a commitment to keep the land for educational purposes."

"Eventually, Cal State Fullerton would like to occupy all 275 acres, which would make the campus larger than the base campus in Fullerton, which serves 32,000 students. The college is in the process of developing a master plan to present to the developer once the land is sold, said Giacumakis."
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, March 19, 2003
"ONT rated one of nation's best alternate airports"

"Ontario International Airport was listed as one of the nation's five best alternate airports by Forbes.com this week . . . ONT beat out other alternate airports - those that are not hubs - in Southern California, including John Wayne Airport, Long Beach Airport and Burbank Airport."

"'There are several alternatives to LAX which serves over 60 million annually, but we like Ontario because it's a bit closer to downtown L.A. than John Wayne Airport,' the article stated. 'Long Beach Airport is closer by 10 miles but has only three carriers.'"

"The magazine factored in proximity to major cities, number of carriers, on-site rental agencies and ample parking. ONT is 35 miles from Los Angeles and has 8,700 parking spaces. The airport also has 10 domestic commercial carriers, two international carriers, and two commuter carriers, airport spokesman Dennis Watson said."
OC Register, March 18, 2003
"Labor interests want rehearing"

"Labor interests trying to preserve the governor's right to appoint replacements for the county Board of Supervisors have asked for a rehearing on a lawsuit they lost at the appeals level. The 4th District Court of Appeal has upheld last year's Measure V, which calls for a special election to fill supervisor vacancies from resignation or death."

"Opponents of Measure V, who say it is unconstitutional, have petitioned for a rehearing. The appellate court reversed the ruling March 3, and it has until April 2 to decide if it will rehear the case. Both sides have said they would appeal to the state Supreme Court should a ruling go against them."
Daily Pilot, March 18 2003
"Newport developers set sights on El Toro"
"Several companies, including Koll Co., plan to bid on some of the closed base's 3,400 acres."

"A local developer has joined a short list of firms expected to bid for a portion of more than 3,400 acres at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station during an online auction in the fall. Members of the Koll Co., a development company founded by Don Koll in Newport Beach in 1962, said they are eyeing the fourth 204-acre parcel being offered by the Navy and the city of Irvine."

"Koll partner Alan Airth said. 'It's an absolutely unbelievable property. It's incredibly located.'"

"Koll hopes to build a 1.6-million-square-foot business park on 121 acres of the parcel. The remaining 93 acres would be set aside for public use and an expansion of the Irvine Auto Center."

"The Navy has split the former base into four parcels, which Irvine is moving to annex. To build the Great Park, as promised in Measure W, Irvine has crafted specific planning requirements for each of the parcels."

"All proceeds from the sale would go to the Department of Defense, which owns the land."

"Three parcels -- measuring 610, 1,049 and 1,600 acres -- will accommodate 3,400 homes and 2.9 million square feet of commercial and industrial space. The land will also be used for a central park, a habitat preserve, a sports park, a museum and other educational uses, Irvine leaders have said."

"Airth joined a handful of other developers, brokers, property managers and others in the real estate community at a Thursday informational meeting in which city and Navy officials diagramed the disbursement of the El Toro land, which is said to be worth $800 million."

"There are obstacles to any development there, however. First of all, the land has been contaminated from the decades of its use as a Marine base."

"Bidding is expected to be feverish. The company that prevails is expected to pay a high price. 'It will be a pretty exciting process to watch, and I expect it to be very competitive,' said Bob Davis, a senior vice president at Grubb & Ellis' Newport Beach office.'"

"The Irvine Co, arguably Orange County's biggest developer, won't make a play for the land. With a surplus of its own land to develop, the company is monitoring the process as an interested party, but not a buyer, a spokesman for the Newport Beach-based company said."
El Toro Info Site report, March 15, 2003 - updated
Unraveling El Toro
County lobbyists need new marching orders

ETRPA and grass roots leaders in the fight against El Toro airport have identified a list of steps they want taken by the Board of Supervisors to officially unravel the pro-airport actions of the past.

Rescinding the Airport System Master Plan and approving the pre-annexation tax transfer agreement with the City of Irvine were near the top of the list and have been completed under the leadership of Board Chairman Tom Wilson.

Another top priority is to change the county's official Legislative Policy, which is the set of marching orders for county lobbyists. Current policy includes statements such as:
"Oppose allowing cities to annex federal lands prior to the conveyance of the property." - an anti-Irvine annexation stance.
The Legislative agenda will be finalized at a BOS workshop on April 22. In the interim, the county's chief Sacramento lobbyist Scott Baugh has been instructed by Wilson to run all airport-related issues past the board.

Several other actions remain in the works with county staff before the anti-airport agenda is complete.

The main disappointment so far came when Wilson reappointed airport proponent Supervisor Chuck Smith to represent the county on the Southern California Association of Governments. Wilson did remove Smith as county rep to the Orange County Regional Airport Authority (OCRAA) and the Southern California Regional Airport Authority (SCRAA).

Anti-airport leaders also were irked when the Airport Land Use Commission stubbornly refused to remove obsolete airport-related  restrictions around the former base. On February 25th, the BOS voted to request that ALUC reconsider.

No El Toro items are on the Board agenda this week but stay tuned.
El Toro Info Site report, March 13, 2003
JWA hits 8 million annual passengers mark

John Wayne passenger volume for the twelve months ending February hit 8,017,668 MAP. The passenger count for February 2003 exceeded last February by 9.4 percent.

Total flight operations were down 7.3 percent from last year as a result of fewer general aviation flights.

The airport has been predicting an 8 MAP year for some time but did not celebrate the milestone. The new 10.3 MAP limit agreed to between the county, city, FAA, airlines, and court, effective January 1, 2003 has yet to be implemented.
Irvine World News, March 13, 2003
"Central Park caretaker admires vision for El Toro"

New York's Central Park was created 150 years ago by the vision of city leaders as a place for new immigrants to escape from the urban stress and enjoy open space.

"'The opportunity that faces Irvine and the county, I have not seen in any other park in the country,' said Douglas Blonsky, Central Parks Conservancy's chief operating officer . . At one point standing in the middle of the runway in the center of the base, [he said] 'you just realize that history is going to be made.'"

"Blonsky was a keynote speaker at the Great Park Conservancy's first community forum held at Irvine City Hall on Tuesday night."

"Blonsky gave a slideshow presentation outlining the roller coaster of events that have helped to shape today's 843-acre Central Park, which hosts 25 million visitors each year. He gave a glimpse to the city as to what really goes into maintaining a massive piece of land."

"'I think you need to get the public involved at the earliest stages possible,' Blonsky said. The layout and design of the park should be 'through a competition with the best and brightest, it is the appropriate way to go, and invite as many people as you can.'"
LA Times, March 12, 2003
"ONT passenger traffic continues its ascent"

"Passenger traffic at Ontario International Airport continues to rebound from a slump following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."

"The number of passengers who flew in and out of ONT in January rose 4.7% compared to the same period in 2002 . . . [but] were 3.3% behind totals in January 2001."

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports "Delta Airlines announced Tuesday that it is adding round-trip flights to Atlanta from Ontario International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport."

Website editor: Roughly a million of Ontario's passengers originate from or are headed to Orange County. The Los Angeles World Airports is in the final stages of completing an updated passenger study.
El Toro Info Site report, March 10, 2003
"Doing the Wright Stuff" 
Conference examines history of aviation and the environment

The University of California at Berkeley is holding its annual International Aviation Noise and Air Quality Symposia this week. To mark the centennial anniversary of the Wright brothers' flight, this year's conference is titled "Doing the Wright Stuff - 100 Years of Aviation and the Environment."

Keynote speaker R.E.G. Davies, Curator of Air Transport for the Smithsonian spoke on "100 years of aviation: But what next?" Davies made a powerful case for high-speed rail to relieve the aviation industry of the substantial burden of passengers who fly short, relatively unprofitable distances.

Mr. Davies noted that there is no commercial air service between the capitol cities of Paris and Brussels. In side by side maps of Italy and California, which have similar geographic size and distribution of major cities, he made the point that Italian cities are linked by fast trains while California lacks such service.

Website Editor Len Kranser spoke on a panel discussing "Noise - Expectations, Perceptions and Reality." Kranser drew on examples from the County of Orange flight demonstration of June 1999, which helped to turn the political momentum against the El Toro airport. "El Toro was a bad idea . . . All that was needed to bring the project crashing down was the exercise of the democratic process by an informed public. The flight demonstration was not the deciding factor but it was a catalyst for that process."
El Toro Info Site report, March 7, 2003
SCAG hits a snag in attempt to implement regional aviation plan

Creation of a new Regional Airport Authority (RAA) with power to implement SCAG plans hit a major snag following Orange County opposition. Currently, SCAG has planning but not implementing authority.

The attempt to create the RAA joint powers authority was disclosed just days prior to the February 20th SCAG Aviation Task Force meeting. SCAG leaders sought a vote of approval at that meeting. Strong opposition from Lake Forest Councilman Richard Dixon and Supervisor Tom Wilson - who replaced O.C. rep Chuck Smith for the day - caused the matter to be tabled until the March meeting.

Orange County leaders see the proposed regional authority as a device to go over the heads of local voters. The staff memo outlining the proposal included "identifying policy changes at local, state or federal level necessary for authority to perform its duties."

Denied FAA funds for El Toro planning, SCAG leaders also sought to have the proposed RAA take control of roughly a half million dollars remaining in the moribund Southern California Regional Airport Authority's (SCRAA) account.

This week's cancellation of the March meeting signals more trouble for the Regional Airport Authority. SCAG President and El Toro advocate Hal Bernson was behind the RAA idea. By the following Aviation Task Force meeting in April, Bernson will be replaced as SCAG President by Brea Councilmember Bev Perry.

Perry's position on the reuse of the Marine base at El Toro is that "the people of Orange County have spoken and there will not be an airport at El Toro." She is unlikely to support Bernson's regional authority scheme. 
El Toro Info Site report, March 6, 2003
Great Park Community Forum Tuesday

The Great Park Conservancy invites the public to attend the Orange County Great Park Community Forum with Doug Blonsky, Chief Operating Officer, Central Park Conservancy, New York City on Tuesday, March 11.

Irvine City Hall One Civic Center Plaza Irvine, CA
Public Reception in the City Hall Foyer - 4:00 pm
Presentation in the Council Chambers - 5:00 pm

For further information, please call the Great Park Conservancy office at 714-544-5410
El Toro Info Site report, March 5, 2003
What a year!!!

As our good friend Sergio reminds us, it has been exactly 1 year since the March 5, 2002 election when Measure W passed, Chris Norby was elected, and Measure V passed. What a year!

The reward for all that hard teamwork is starting to show. There is a 3-2 majority on the Board of Supervisors, the Airport System Master Plan is rescinded, the FAA has given money to SCAG on the condition that it cannot be spent on El Toro, and Irvine annexation is moving forward. In many subtle and some not so subtle ways, the message that El Toro airport is dead is spreading through the government infrastructure.

There still are some die hards working at mischief. However, we expect that by the second anniversary next March 5 to be able to say with certainty that it's all over.
OC Register, March 5, 2003
"Cultivating plans"
"Irvine officials considering how to create Great Park habitat."

"County supervisors on Tuesday cleared the way for Irvine to begin thinking big thoughts about nature."

"While the developed part of the Great Park is clearly staked out, plans for the 'Meadows' - the 367-acre centerpiece of the area - are only just beginning to emerge. In their initial planning for the Great Park, Irvine city planners talked about returning this center of the old base to its natural habitat."

"Whatever natural mosaic Irvine decides on, it is a step-by-step, complex effort."

The Register presents a detailed view of the costs and challenges of "restoring a new and improved nature hundreds of years after humanity's intrusion." Full story in the Early Bird thread today.
El Toro Info Site report, March 4, 2003 - updated and expanded
Supervisors act today on pre-annexation agreement

The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 for approval of an El Toro property tax sharing agreement with the City of Irvine. The county will receive 82 percent of the tax revenue and the city will get the remainder to help pay for public services in the soon-to-be park district. The action, after a one-week delay, is a major step in the process of annexing the former base into Irvine.

Airport advocate Charles Griffin of Newport Beach chided the Board during public comments. "You will be totally incompetent if you approve this giveaway."

Board Chairman Tom Wilson then "framed the issues" and steered the Board discussion toward reaching a conclusion. Supervisor Campbell, whose district includes El Toro, was designated to lead off. Campbell opened by stating that "Annexation is a very very necessary step." He complemented the City of Irvine for a plan that puts "neither city nor county taxpayers at risk."

Supervisor Norby, a long-time opponent of redevelopment agencies, agreed. He made clear that "The City of Irvine will not own the land . . . This is a political change from a county pocket to incorporated land."

Supervisor Smith opposed the motion. "If annexed, this will not be a Great Park." Echoing Charles Griffin, he called the move "a massive giveaway" to Irvine.

Supervisor Silva said, "The airport issue is basically behind us." His expressed concerns were with protecting the interests of the county. Despite explanations from county staff, Silva voted against the motion because of questions about the traffic count for an area that the county would develop.

About 100 of the acres in question are along the intersection of Interstate 5 and Sand Canyon Road; some warehouses stand there now. The remaining land is near the Musick Jail; it's open space. Among the uses the county is considering for the acreage are an animal shelter, police-training site, emergency shelter and heavy-equipment maintenance yard.

According to the City of Irvine, the county will receive: Musick Jail, which has been considered part of the annexation process for years, will be left out of the discussion for now. The LAFCO process might add it back since it is against state policy to create small pockets of unincorporated land or "county islands."
Daily Pilot, March 4, 2003
"Last hurdle for [JWA] flight restrictions cleared"

"A District Court judge has put his stamp of approval on the amended John Wayne Settlement Agreement, clearing the last hurdle for restrictions of flights and expansion at John Wayne Airport."

"The Federal Aviation Administration and Air Transport Assn. in January gave their blessings to a modified settlement agreement that raises the allowable number of passengers . . . to 10.8 million a year, and will eventually allow 20 gates there by 2011."
El Toro Info Site report, March 3, 2003 - updated
Court of Appeals upholds Measure V
Campbell retains seat as third anti-airport vote

The 4th District Court of Appeals in Santa Ana overturned the ruling of the lower court and upheld the constitutionality of Measure V. The election of Supervisor Bill Campbell in accordance with Measure V is valid. The anti-airport majority on the Board of Supervisors is solidly in place.

The court said, of the case presented by Joe Kerr, other plaintiffs, and the State Attorney General, "none of the arguments is persuasive . . . The plaintiffs have tried to . . . undo an election by critiquing the [County Counsel's 500 word] impartial analysis provided with the ballot material."

The plaintiff's litigation would "have the effect of largely wasting the money which they now argue that the voters should have been told that the election would cost! . . . if your complaint is with the ballot materials that go to the voters, challenge those, when you get the chance, don't try to overturn the election results by picking them apart afterwards," and "It is pretty obvious to anybody that if a measure requires an election, it is going to add to the cost of the election . . . anybody can figure that out."
LA Times editorial, March 2, 2003
"Jail Gambit Tarnishes Irvine"

"It's hard to imagine what Irvine planners intended when they proposed annexing the James A. Musick Branch Jail. It's easier to figure out what they accomplished: They irritated county officials who had been cooperating with them on the plans for the old El Toro base and made it clear that the Great Park needs a thorough flea-combing at every step of the way."

"The county has admitted defeat on its El Toro airport ambitions, but Irvine still needs county cooperation to arrange a smooth turnover of the base. Why make enemies at this point? Irvine officials may have outsmarted themselves on this one. Now critics will pull out their magnifying glasses at any mention of the Great Park."

Website editor: The complete editorial is posted on the message board. It is another example of Irvine-bashing from the Times, to the enjoyment of the Airport Working Group but not necessarily the rest of us. For as long as we have been covering El Toro news, Irvine and Newport Beach have had PR problems but the latter seems to be able to confine coverage of its missteps to the local Daily Pilot.

Potential annexation of Musick jail has been discussed for years and should come as no surprise. Other county jails are included within the city boundaries where they are located.
El Toro Info Site report, March 1, 2003
LAX non-expansion to receive expedited environmental processing

Opponents of LAX expansion won a significant victory when Mayor Hahn's plan for reconfiguring the airport was placed on a short list of federal Department of Transportation projects that will receive expedited environmental review. The LAX plan is intended to improve security while reducing the number of airport gates and capping service at 78 million annual passengers. The LAX runways are capable of handling 89 million travelers.

LAX is one of the few major airports with no capacity expansion plans. Officials from the areas near the airport are committed to increasing passenger use of other airports in the region as an alternative

The only other airport project to make the priority list is Philadelphia International, which will add a runway.

Other airport projects nominated but waiting to be selected for expedited processing are:
Chicago O'Hare - new runways
South Suburban Chicago airport - new airport
Ivanpah Valley airport - second airport for Las Vegas
St. George Utah - replacement airport
Dulles International - 2 new runways
El Toro Info Site report, March 1, 2003
Annexation back on the agenda

The tax transfer agreement between the County and the City of Irvine is back on the Board of Supervisors' agenda for next Tuesday. The agreement is an essential step in the annexation of El Toro. Click here for more details.

Several other airport-related items are likely to appear on the agendas of Board meetings later this month. One of the most important is an update of the County's Legislative Policy Guidelines. The item has been postponed several times since January 28. The guidelines tell the County's lobbyists what to work on in Sacramento. (Like no El Toro airport.)

Click here for previous news stories