Today's
Headlines - click on the date for stories
[JW Airport] “Control talks closer to pact”
Irvine
World News, March 24, 2005
“Council OKs $2
million advance to
Daily Breeze, March 22, 2005
“Board OKs 1st phase of LAX
modernization”
LA Times, March 21, 2005
"
LA Times, March 21, 2005
"In
LA Times, March 19, 2005
"LAX Resigned to Long Lines,
Despite
Cloud of Terrorism"
LA Daily News, March 18, 2005
"1 billion passengers to crowd
airports"
El Toro Info Site report,
March 17,
2005 - revised March 31
ALUC getting the message
El Toro Info Site report, March 17, 2005
Airport News from San Diego
OCRegister.com, March 15, 2005 late breaking
news
"Escrow opens on
El Toro Info Site report, March 15, 2005
"LAX won't be in the OC"
OC Register, March 14, 2005
"Agran's grip is unrelenting"
LA Times, March 12, 2005
"
Daily Pilot letter, March 10, 2005 posted March
11
Cox: "In fact, those fibs won't
fly"
Orange County Register, March 10, 2005
"
El Toro Info Site report,
March 10,
2005
The other May event
El Toro Info Site report, March 9, 2005
Villaraigosa and Hahn in runoff.
El Toro Info Site report, March 8, 2005
AWG financials posted online
OC Register, March 8, 2005
Daily Breeze, March 7, 2005
"Election may decide direction
of LAX
future"
El Toro Info Site report, March 6, 2005
Where do we grow from here?
OC Register, March 4, 2005
"Transit planners count on 10
more
lanes"
OC Register, March 3, 2005
"March 11 meeting on
El Toro Info Site report, March 1, 2005 - updated
Gordon bill on Board agenda -
opposed
Click here for last month's news stories
<>Daily Breeze, March 31, 2005
The Los Angeles
County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) “gave preliminary approval
Wednesday
to appeals by El Segundo and county officials that aim to prevent the
city of
”The appeals contend, among other things, that the airport plan falls short of state requirements by failing to protect nearby residents from excessive noise and safety hazards. State law governing ‘orderly expansion’ of airports also requires the city to focus on developing a regional airport system, rather than concentrating more air traffic at LAX, according to numerous supporters of the appeals.”
The
“Notably absent from the meeting were airport representatives and members of the Los Angeles City Council who favor the airport plan. City officials have argued that the Airport Land Use Commission's appeal process is illegal, leaving the city free to ignore the commission's concerns and proceed with airport redevelopment.”
"
"What accounts for
any lapses? Determined opposition from some airport-area residents,
whose
interests certainly must be reckoned with in any council decision. But
the size
of opponents' showings at crucial council meetings seems to have
mattered,
too."
"In any case, when
it comes to
”Passenger
traffic increased 2.1 percent over the same period in 2004, showing
moderate growth for February, airport spokesman Justin McCusker said.”
”The passenger uptick came as total commercial and commuter flights
decreased
2.2 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively.”
”Those decreases were due to a canceled direct flight to
North County Times, March 28, 2005 - updated March 29
“
“
[JW Airport] “Control talks closer to pact”
“After more than four
years of talking about it, Newport Beach
leaders and Orange County supervisors are inching closer to agreements
that
would give the city more control in a number of areas. The
centerpiece of the cooperative venture would be a joint-powers
agreement
between the city and county governing John Wayne Airport.”
”The airport now operates under a legal settlement agreement that has
four
parties -- the city and county and local activist groups Stop Polluting
Our
Newport and the Airport Working Group.”
”The advantage [to
”If a joint-powers agreement is created, the other parties to the
settlement
agreement would not be involved. A joint-powers agreement could also be
renewed
automatically rather than having to be renegotiated, Ridgeway said.”
”Airport Working Group Vice President Richard Taylor said the city
hasn't kept
him informed on the progress of the airport talks, and he was wary of
tinkering
with the settlement agreement that's now in place. It limits flights
and caps
passenger levels at
”Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva said. ‘My objective would be to
allow
Click
for the entire article.
ETRPA adding muscle
The El Toro Reuse Planning Authority faces what
may be its
final year of operation with the defeat of
The agenda for Monday night’s ETRPA meeting
includes
resolutions approving Affiliate Membership for the Offices of
Assemblymembers
Mimi Walters and Todd Spitzer. Both have taken active roles in the
Legislature regarding El Toro.
The
agenda also includes a recommendation to
“Approve in
principle the concept of the
When the Board of Supervisors threw their support behind the commercial airport alternative, the County dropped out of ETRPA. The County later joined the Orange County Regional Airport Authority and provided most of its funding. After the passage of Measure W and election of an anti-airport majority, the Board voted in 2003 to withdraw from OCRAA.
“Council OKs $2
million advance to
”Unanimous vote
rescinds previous action of limiting the amount to $250,000. “
”The City Council agreed Tuesday to give $2,122,250 to the Great Park
Corp.
without placing a limit on how much the corporation is permitted to pay
the
Great Park Conservancy.”
”In November the council voted 3-2 that a limit of $250,000 be placed
on the
amount of money spent by the corporation to do business with the
conservancy.”
”However, on Tuesday the council unanimously voted to rescind that
action.”
”The council suggested that in the future all non-profit organizations
wanting
to do business with the corporation be held to the same standards as
those
wanting to do business with the city; that is, that
they be required to submit
financial information based on the amount of the contract they are
seeking.”
Click
for more . . .
Daily Breeze, March 22, 2005
”Board OKs 1st phase of LAX
modernization”
”Vote would start bidding to move runway closer to El Segundo.
Federal approval
”Despite objections from the city of El Segundo, LAX directors voted Monday to proceed with the first part of the airport's $11 billion-plus modernization before obtaining federal approval for the plan or completing an environmental review of the initial project.”
”The Board of Airport Commissioners voted to seek companies interested in undertaking the $255 million project, which will involve moving a runway 55 feet
closer to El Segundo to reduce the chance of an airfield collision. The aim is to cut the time it will take to get the project started.”
”El Segundo's attorneys claim the move is illegal.”
Click for more . . .
"
"Miguel Contreras built a political machine based on labor's clout."
Website Editor: The Times story provides background on the Los
Angeles
political figure who conducted
the city council committee hearing on LA's takeover of El Toro
and led
a
delegation to Washington to try to make it happen. He
seeks
construction jobs which include building airports.
"It was the first day of hearings on a controversial $11-billion plan
to
modernize and expand
" One man stood out . . . Miguel Contreras carried a certain amount of
clout as one of the five members of the Airport Commission. But airport
officials had asked him to sit in the front row . . . because of his
other
role."
"As the leader of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO,
Contreras has transformed the association of 345 local unions into what
is
broadly acknowledged as the most formidable political machine in
"The labor leader had lobbied exhaustively for the airport expansion,
which promised to create thousands of construction jobs. Before the
council
meeting, he had warned that those who opposed the plan would be 'asked
to
explain their vote' when seeking labor's endorsement."
More
. . .
LA Times, March 21, 2005
"In
"Bay Area city's experience with its naval shipyard is instructive for
"
"It's a lesson that Irvine, some 400 miles south, will learn as it
begins
development of the former El Toro Marine base, anchored in the heart of
Orange
County."
"The 5,223 acres of former Navy property is owned by
"Lennar's experience with such challenges bodes well for El Toro,
Click
for more . . .
LA Times, March 19,
2005
"LAX Resigned to Long Lines,
Despite
Cloud of Terrorism"
"Despite warnings by security experts that long lines at Los Angeles
International Airport are vulnerable to a terrorist attack, airport
officials
have concluded that the staff cannot be added to significantly shorten
queues
in the next few years."
"Rand Corp. recommended last fall that airlines and federal officials
hire
more people to speed travelers from sidewalks and terminal lobbies into
the
more secure gate areas as the quickest and cheapest way to protect LAX
passengers."
"But in documents obtained by The Times, the airport's top official
advised the City Council that a third more airline workers and
screeners would
be needed - an increase that's not feasible. And even if cash-strapped
airlines
could hire additional staff, there wouldn't be enough ticket counter
space for
them, airport officials said."
More
. . .
LA Daily
News, March 18,
2005
"1 billion passengers to crowd
airports"
"WASHINGTON -- More than 1 billion people a year will be boarding
planes
in the United States within a decade, nearly half again as many as
those now
using an aviation system showing signs of being overburdened." Click
for FAA Aerospace Forecasts, Fiscal Years 2005-2016.
"The Federal Aviation Administration, which released the forecast
Thursday, faces spending cuts for runways, air traffic control
equipment and
buildings. But the agency's administrator, Marion Blakey, said she was
confident there would be enough money to accommodate the dramatic
growth in air
traffic."
"Lawmakers and aviation advocates were not so sure."
"'We are redesigning airspace, deploying new software that will help
increase capacity, and putting new procedures in place,' Blakey said.
'We will
be ready.'"
Click
for more of this Associated Press and other reports.
Website Editor: If this is the case, and Blakely's technological
developments will allow existing runways to carry more passengers, are
we
acting realistically in
El Toro Info Site
report,
March 17, 2005 - revised March 31
ALUC getting the message
The Airport Land Use Commission met this afternoon with only one action
item on
its agenda. Commission staff presented a 21-page report and a
recommendation to reject a mixed-use development in
Today's vote against the project was 5-2. Commissioners Tom O'Malley
and Melody
Carruth chided their colleagues for continuing to waste public money by
reviewing
Two
years after the Board of Supervisors killed airport plans and
asked
ALUC to change its restrictions; this may be the final acting out of
the ALUC's
long pretense that
In January, ALUC
commissioners approved a work-intensive review of 9 years of
Commissioners appointed by the Board of Supervisors - including the
editor of this website - have insisted repeatedly that ALUC's
jurisdiction under California law ends at the instant that title
transfers to Lennar. The commission's Airport Environs Land Use Plan
becomes void whether the proposed environmental reviews and hearings
are conducted or not.
In a March 10, 2005 "confidential" opinion letter, County Counsel Ben
De Mayo advised the Commision regarding applicable state law. While the
ALUC, with concurrence from County Counsel's office, would not make the
letter's contents public, Commission
Chairman Gerald Bresnahan reported to the meeting that the staff work
plan for El Toro was being halted. However, he hesitated putting the
question of
ending
the
El
Toro
Info Site report, March 17, 2005
Airport News from San Diego
The
Union-Tribune reports that the San Diego Regional Airport
Authority's
Master Plan seeks to add 10 gates to Lindbergh Field. This is a project
in
addition to
Also, "Developer Sandor Shapery, who is trying to whip up interest in a
magnetic levitation system connecting San Diego and Los Angeles,
offered to fly
the San Diego Association of Governments' Transportation Committee to
China to
ride the world's first commercial maglev train."
"Shapery has been studying prospects for a maglev project linking
Lindbergh Field to
OCRegister.com, March
15, 2005
updated
"Escrow opens on El Toro"
"Lennar Corp. moved a step closer this week to getting the keys to the
old
El Toro base and says it anticipates beginning construction by 2007."
"The Navy sent the Miami-based builder a letter formally beginning the
process of transferring the land and setting dates for Lennar to
deliver the
rest of the balance of the $649.5 million purchase price for the old
base."
"Lennar says it is very eager to begin building. 'Getting the award
letter
was a big thing,' said Emile Haddad, the company's regional president
for
California."
"Even when the sale is complete in July, the Navy will maintain a
presence
on the base until about 2011. That's how long it estimates it will take
to
clean up the remaining fuel, solvent and other pollutants left over
from four
decades of military operations."
Click
for more . . .
El Toro Info Site report,
March 15,
2005
"LAX won't be in the OC"
Last week, Irvine Mayor Beth Krom and former Mayor Larry Agran
co-signed an
op-ed piece in the Irvine World News headlined "LAX
won't be
in the OC".
"To even think that the residents of
But when asked whether they support an airport at El Toro run by
With voters countywide - not just in
OC Register, March 14, 2005
"Agran's grip is unrelenting"
Often caustic Register columnist Frank Mickadeit gives his spin on Friday's meeting of the Great Park Corp.
board.
[I] "Hit the first big post-auction meeting of the Great Park Corp.
board
(or, as a cynic might call it, The Friends of Larry Agran Perpetual
Employment
Agency) on Friday and my first impression was: I hope the planning for
the park
goes better than the planning for this first meeting."
Click
here for the remainder of the column.
LA Times, March
12, 2005
"El Toro Base Redevelopment Gets
a
Timetable"
"Redevelopment of the closed El Toro Marine base began
Friday as officials met to set a rough timetable for the
construction
of homes, businesses and a vast park on 4,700 acres that Irvine
officials have
dubbed the Orange County Great Park."
"The meeting of the Great Park's board of directors was the first since
last month's auction of the base by the Navy to homebuilding giant
Lennar Corp.
- a purchase that, when completed, will mark the end of more than a
decade of
attempts to build a commercial airport on the site."
"Demolition of
"Home construction could begin in late 2007, with the first units going
on
sale the next year, said Bob Santos, a Lennar executive."
Click for the Times article and a related Register story, "Design
Contest Planned for
Daily Pilot letter, March
10, 2005
posted March 11
Cox: "In fact, those fibs won't
fly"
Representative
Christopher Cox responds regarding an earlier Pilot letter
writer:
"If his point is he wishes more of the base property were sold, and
less
given away to local government, I agree. In fact, however, only about
650 acres
of the former base property can be developed for profit."
Website Editor: Rep. Cox has
long
championed the idea of selling El Toro, but has said he would
have
preferred to see more of the property made available for sale and
private
development.
"Fully 3,000 acres of the base will be permanently dedicated as open
space."
"Not only is it [
"I agree with the writer on one point: The fact that the proceeds
received
by the Navy were less than the over $1 billion cost of relocating the
Marines
from
Website Editor: If closures were decided solely on the basis of
one-time
realignment costs versus sales proceeds, it would be hard to shutter
any base.
My understanding is that base closures are supposed to save operating
funds
every year thereafter which provides the long-term economic
justification for
the action.
Orange County Register,
March 10,
2005
"
"An ambitious agenda to begin creating the
"The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at
El Toro Info Site report, March 10, 2005
The other May event
In a little over two months, on May 17, Los Angelinos will chose a mayor in a runoff between James Hahn and Anthony Villaraigosa. While the outcome could impact Southern California's airport debate, there is another equally important aviation-related event coming in May.
On May 16, the Pentagon will release the list of bases proposed for shutdown in the next round of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.
The state-created agency searching for a site for a new San Diego
airport
will discuss the possible use of five current military locations on May
17, the
day after the Pentagon releases its next base closure list. The
San
Diego County Regional Airport Authority previously agreed to defer
studying
Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base near
If
El Toro Info Site
report, March 9,
2005 - updated
Villaraigosa and Hahn in runoff.
The Los Angeles City Clerk's website reports the following "unofficial final" mayoral vote:
Villaraigosa 124,561
Hahn
89,189
Hertzberg 83,420
Parks
50,341
Alarcon 13,515
The next LA mayor will be selected in a runoff on May 17 between the
top two
candidates, Villaraigosa and Hahn.
Viewers of this website recall that incumbent
Hahn sought to derail the Navy's sale of El Toro and lease the
property
from the government. In this way, he hoped that
Hahn also took heat from some LA voters for promoting an $11 billion plan to modernize but not expand LAX, including building an unpopular remote passenger terminal and people mover to the gate area.
His opponents criticized him but were vague about specific proposals of their own.
During a February 21 campaign debate on KCET Life and Times,
Villiagrosa
made the following non-specific comments on the airport issue: "When
you
go into
During the same televison debate, Bob Hertzberg commented, "It is a regional system, but I would argue that the regional system should be one that is five county-based."
El Toro Info Site report,
March 8, 2005
AWG financials posted online
A search for the latest 2003 financial information for the Airport Working Group finally turned up the following information:
The organization raised only $30,479 for the 2003 year, a big step
down from
previous periods that saw millions contributed by the City of
The money went for consultants. The largest payment, $20,315, went
to Bruce
Nestande who now consults for
OC Register, March 8,
2005
Frank
Mickadeit's column discusses a joint OC-Riverside panel's
thoughts on a
tunnel to relieve conjestion on the 91 freeway:
Surprise!
I ran into O.C. Supervisor Lou Correa at the rodeo Sunday, and he
said that
was one of the most significant things he heard Friday. "That tells me
that we need to pursue
March is on SCAG's
list of regional airports for 2030.
Today's
Union-Tribune story"When time comes, airport panel will
rush
to study military bases" reminds us that March is on the San
Diego
Regional Airport Authority's list of out-of-county prospective
locations for a
new
Website Editor:
Daily Breeze, March
7, 2005
"Election may decide direction
of LAX
future"
"None of Mayor Hahn's opponents likes his plan. Some candidates
have
their own ideas for the airport."
"Construction could begin this year on Mayor James Hahn's $11
billion-plus plan to modernize
"If Hahn loses in [tomorrow] Tuesday's primary or in a May [17] runoff election, all bets are off."
"Hahn's four main challengers -- Councilmen Antonio Villaraigosa and Bernard Parks, state Sen. Richard Alarcon and former state Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg -- have expressed varying degrees of concerns with, and hostility toward, the [LAX] plan. All but Hertzberg have proposed actions that would delay, alter or scrap all or part of the plan."
Click for more of the article . . .
Website Editor: Hahn was the only candidate in the crowded field
to
promote the highly controversial idea of
El Toro Info Site report,
March 6,
2005
Where do we grow from here?
Click
for our
report based on a recent article in the Washington News-Tribune dealing
with
regional airport growth. Comparable issues confront
The bill's author envisions an air capacity study and a marketing report to determine where future air travel demand will emerge and how the airlines want to meet it.
In
The draft
In Orange County, the question is whether "reasonable "airport siting decisions will be made or will politically powerful Los Angeles and its neighbors dominate the process and use it as a tool to offload their airport problems on their neighbors.
OC Register, March
4, 2005
"Transit planners count on 10
more
lanes"
"Driving the
"Today, officials from
"The report offers cures such as building a new freeway that would
parallel the 91 or tunnels through the
Website Editor: Not
mentioned in the article is a new route's importance to future
OC Register, March 3, 2005
"March 11 meeting on
"The Orange County Great Park Corp. has scheduled a public meeting
to
adopt a preliminary work plan for the
"The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. [Friday] March 11 at UC Irvine's
"Sure to be high on the work list is awarding a contract to begin breaking up the runways. Besides being a symbolic end to the long fight over a proposed commercial airport at the base, recycling the runways will make it even more difficult for airport advocates to somehow resurrect their plans."
El Toro Info Site report,
March 1, 2005
- updated
Gordon bill on Board agenda -
opposed
Board Chairman Bill Campbell added the Gordon regional airport
authority
bill, AB 1197 to the items to be discussed at today's Supervisors'
meeting.
On December 14, after the introduction of Alarcon's SB 32, the Board
of
Supervisors voted to the add the following language to the 2005 County
Legislative Platform for the guidance of OC's lobbyists:
The local land use decision made regarding MCAS,
The vote on the December motion was 3-2 with Supervisors Chuck Smith
and Jim
Silva opposed.
Today, the Board voted 5-0 to oppose AB 1197 but not until after
Supervisors
Silva and Correa both unsuccessfully sought a delay "of a few weeks to
talk with Gordon." Silva offered to meet with him tomorrow in
Supervisor
Supervisor Norby observed that the bill as drafted "may not have
teeth
now but bills grow teeth very quickly." He characterized it as an
"obvious attempt to control airport capacity in