Today's Headlines - click on date for full story
El Toro Info Site Report, April 30, 2002 - updated
Measure W in court - Case goes to LA.

El Toro Info Site Report, April 30, 2002
Nakano bill watered down

El Toro Info Site Report, April 29, 2002
Measure W in Court - round two is more of a draw

OC Register, April 29, 2002
"Smith spouts 'mumbo jumbo'"

LA Times, April 28, 2002
"El Toro Airport Advocates Lost to a United Suburbia"
"Lifestyle concerns rallied more residents than the improved air and shipping connections."

El Toro Info Site report, April 27, 2002
San Diego Butts In

OC Register, April 26, 2002
"Navy signals intent for El Toro"
"Assistant secretary tells local officials the Navy plans to sell the land quickly and may relocate boot camp."

LA Times, April 26, 2002
"Navy Makes No El Toro Promises"
"Officials, meeting with O.C. and Irvine leaders, hope to have a plan to dispose of the base ready by May 31. They say they'll honor zoning vote."

El Toro Info Site report, April 25, 2002
Measure W wins round one in court

OC Register, April 25, 2002
"El Toro runways could become roadways"
"Irvine has concrete plans for recycling materials from the former base."

LA Times, April 24, 2002
"Navy Sinks Last Chance of Airport at El Toro"
"Site will be sold for parks and development, with details up to Irvine. The decision ends 8 years and $54 million of planning by Orange County."

Website Report, April 23, 2002 - updated
Navy issues non-aviation ROD

LA Times, April 23, 2002
"El Toro Homes on the Agenda for Supervisors "
"Board may hear Chuck Smith's request that vacant military housing be sold as 'affordable' or transitional units. Navy decision expected today.

El Toro Info Site Report, April 22, 2002 - corrected
Nakano bill stalled in Sacramento; then broken loose.

El Toro Info Site Report, April 22, 2002
Navy decision expected Tuesday morning.
Supervisors' and State Assembly to consider El Toro related items.

OC Register, April 22, 2002
Supervisor says park deal should make grade

OC Register, April 21, 2002
"Irvine's power play"
"For 42 days, officials brokered a base-reuse plan, hoping to please park backers and the Navy. They're about to find out if it
worked."

LA Times, April 21, 2002
"El Toro Deal at Risk Over Park Funding"
"State law prohibits Irvine from making good on its promise to give tax proceeds to other cities."

OC Register, April 20, 2002
"Top Marine urges study of a return to El Toro"
"He says move of recruitment center from San Diego should be considered."

El Toro Info Site Report, April 19, 2002
Todd Spitzer Fiesta event

OC Register, April 19, 2002
"Navy is reportedly receptive to 'Great Park' plan but is mum on decision of sale or auction"
FAA won't ask Navy to consider airport

El Toro Info Site Report, April 18, 2002
Smith says the "dead" word

LA Times, April 18, 2002
"LA Pushes El Toro Airport"
"A delegation representing cities around LAX seeks FAA intervention as Navy considers sale of base."

El Toro Info Site report, April 17, 2002
Urgent action required

El Toro Info Site report, April 17, 2002
Waiting for the ROD

OC Register, April 17, 2002
"Board cedes El Toro"

San Diego Union Tribune, April 17, 2002
"Southern California officials [still] push El Toro as regional airport"

Daily Pilot, April 17, 2002
"Supervisors stay neutral on Measure W lawsuit"

El Toro Info Site Report, April 16, 2002 - 9:15 PM
Supervisors vote to support Irvine annexation
County pulling out of El Toro reuse

El Toro Info Site Report, April 15, 2002 updated April 16
They messed up the airport.  Will they mess up the park?

El Toro Info Site Report, April 15, 2002
Lou Correa announces Assembly hearing on El Toro

Website Report, April 15, 2002
State board repeats concerns over El Toro airport air pollution; cautions FAA re. approval

LA Times editorial, April 14 2002
"When Consensus Is Crucial"

LA Times, April 13, 2002
"Irvine Requests County Backing to Buy El Toro"
"The Board of Supervisors will be asked to urge the Navy to sell the closed Marine base to the city. Financing details are few."

LA Times, April 13, 2002
"John Wayne in the Black as El Toro Drain Ends"

OC Register April 12, 2002
"Tustin base reuse to get off ground"
"The Navy is set to auction three parcels expected to be used for high-density housing projects."

Website Report, April 12, 2002
ETRPA releases private polling data
Opposition to airport is highest in four years.

CSHC Press release, April 11, 2002, web posted April 12
Measure W Committee calls V-Plan Initiative a Waste of Time and Money

Website Report, April 11, 2002
John Wayne traffic drops below 7.3 million

OC Register, April 11, 2002
"El Toro airport supporters seek new initiative"

OC Register, April 10, 2002
"Campbell to run for supervisor"

Daily Pilot, April 10, 2002
"Rohrabacher 'sick' of El Toro fight"

OC Register, April 10, 2002
"El Toro land leased for berries"

Website Report, April 9, 2002
Smith and Wilson report on Washington trip

Website Report, April 9, 2002
Simon reports on Washington trip

Website Report, April 5, 2002
Wilson back from Washington; Says "Airport is dead."

Website Report, April 5, 2002
The Irvine-ETRPA-Lake Forest plan

Website Report, April 5, 2002
Norby seeks financial aid

Website Report April 4, 2002
Measure W is law today

OC Register, April 4, 2002
"El Toro Casino"

OC Register, April 3, 2002
"Legislator's panel seeks consensus"

Website Report, April 3, 2002
"After Measure W" panel

Website Report, April 1, 2002
Election Details

Click here for earlier news.

The Judicial Council assigned the Measure W litigation to the Superior Court in Los Angeles.  It is common to send Orange County cases to LA and visa versa.

The case was given to LA Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janav who ruled for the initiative in Measure F pre-election litigation.  The pro-airport side will seek to move it to Judge S. James Otero who ruled against Measure F.

However, in his Measure F ruling Otero said, "Should the citizens of the County of Orange not wish to proceed with the building of an airport at the El Toro facility, they can seemingly accomplish this in a variety of ways including the passage of an initiative repealing Measure A." Well, the voters did just that with Measure W.

The Nakano bill, AB 2333 in the California Assembly, has been watered down in the Transportation Committee but is still objectionable. Penalties for counties not meeting their "fair share" of aviation capacity are replaced by "preferences" for those that do.

In the amended form, the Southern California Regional Airport Authority, SCRAA has been completely removed from the bill's enforcement procedure. The Southern California Association of Governments, SCAG is substituted.  The bill's implementation has been put off until 2004.

Removal of SCRAA from the bill is important. While SCRAA has been dormant for years, El Toro airport proponents resurrected it. Supervisor Chuck Smith is O.C.'s representative to this organization's 5 member board. Peggy Ducey, former Newport Beach Assistant City Manager was hired as its Director.  Unless it is deactivated again, SCRAA has the potential to become a multi-county supergovernmental agency with power to override local decisions, as does the South Coast Air Quality Management Board.

Click here for more on AB2333, which goes next to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Measure W supporters won round one last week.  Today's court hearing was more of a draw or even a minor victory for the initiative.

Pro-airport attorney's sought to have the case against Measure W moved immediately to Los Angeles County.  Anti-airport attorneys presented information, including media reports, showing potential bias.  Some LA residents want a big airport in Orange County to take the load from LAX.

Judge Frederick Horn, the Orange County Presiding Judge, did not decide where to send the case and referred the matter to the Judicial Council in San Francisco. While this legal assault on the initiative moves slowly along, Irvine and the Navy are proceeding to cast the former base's non-aviation future in concrete. 

"County Supervisor Chuck Smith, longtime advocate of an airport at El Toro, was on the losing side of the April 16 vote to hand over development authority of the former Marine base to Irvine. He has repeatedly complained that Irvine's proposal lacks specific details and is 'all smoke and mirrors.'"

"Asked several questions the next day about the board decision, Smith repeatedly responded, 'Mumbo jumbo. Rhubarb, rhubarb.'"

"Smith couldn't identify the source of the lyric, so assistant James Campbell plugged into the Internet and up came the details and a snip from the original Broadway cast recording. The song is 'Mumbo Jumbo,' from the stage play 'Stop the World -- I Want to Get Off.' The song is sung by a politician to the masses, who cheer wildly although he is sputtering nonsense. The next phrase? 'Tickety bubarb. Yak, yak, yak.'"

"The most enduring song from the early '60s stage hit? 'What Kind of Fool Am I?'"

Times writer Jean Pasco provides an interesting analysis of the battle over El Toro and concludes that concerns for life style won. "The hundreds of thousands of residents across Orange County who battled a commercial airport at El Toro celebrated a common victory this past week: the triumph of suburbia. For anti-airport forces, the fate of the former Marine Corps Air Station… was all about quality of life. The airport represented much more than the number of flights per day or decibels per takeoff or pounds of pollutants. It meant surrendering their sanctuary to the urban ills of elsewhere."

"The argument for an airport was always a monetary one: The added dollars, supporters said, would enhance Orange County's position in the global economy. …Most people in Orange County actually agreed with the notion that building the new airfield would improve the economy, said Stan Oftelie, executive director of the Orange County Business Council, which supported an airport at the base. That didn't sway opponents, who saw it as forever changing the character of the county."

To ETRPA's Paul Eckles, "'the whole notion being advanced that Orange County needed to have its fair share of grief was bonkers.'"

In a separate piece, "El Toro's Defining Moment", the Times editorial writers continues in a similar vein. "There were some good reasons an aviation option should have been preserved for El Toro, but with that scenario off the table, the thing that has been missing all along is now present. Clarity.".

"The Navy did the right thing in agreeing that there was an appropriate local plan to redevelop the base and a legitimate authority [The City of Irvine] on the ground to implement it…. Now the county gets a real community plan after a journey of a thousand miles."

The full text of both pieces is posted in the Early Bird thread.

In a classic bit of chutzpah, the San Diego Union-Tribune has weighed into the El Toro debate editorially to scold Orange County for not building Southern California's next commercial airport.  Orange Countians have never dared to insert themselves into the raging debate over whether San Diego should expand its Lindbergh Field or build elsewhere in that county.

We sense the hand of Orange County pro-airport political operatives, and Mike Gordon's allies from the LAX area, orchestrating yesterday's editorial pronouncement from the San Diego paper,  "El Toro Vote Will Harm Southern California".

What do the editorial writers in San Diego know about the deficiencies of El Toro? Have they seen ALPA's pronouncement that it is "an accident waiting to happen"?  Have they read the FAA's airspace report about El Toro delaying most flights from John Wayne and Long Beach?  Are they aware that the Air Traffic Controllers Union says OCX should lead to the closing of John Wayne?  Do they care if our roads are gridlocked and our air fouled?

I think not. Click here to read the article.  We've added a link for our well-informed viewers to send a letter to the newspaper's editor and hope you will post a copy of what you write on the message thread.

"The assistant secretary of the Navy and 10 other federal officials told Irvine and county leaders Thursday that they will dispose of the closed El Toro base in a methodical but quick fashion, seeking the highest bidder for at least a portion of it, and that the Marines might indeed move back to set up a boot camp."

"U.S. Navy Assistant Secretary H.T. Johnson -- accompanied by an entourage that included experts and lawyers for selling off mothballed base property -- heard the concerns of county supervisors in meetings at the Hall of Administration."

"Then the federal officials headed off to Irvine City Hall, the new hub for planning a parks complex at the base, where they spent six hours."

"Johnson, who has declined to be interviewed, told local officials the Navy supports Irvine's annexation attempt… The Navy and city agreed to meet May 3 to begin specific discussions."

"Irvine Councilman Chris Mears, who was in the meeting, said, "The plan that is taking shape has the city master-planning the base and then working in conjunction with the (federal government) in finding a buyer or buyers."

"'I think by May 31, Gen. Johnson wants us to have shaped the entire deal,' Mears said. 'Very shortly thereafter, I think we would go to market.'"

"Supervisor Tom Wilson said Johnson told him the Navy plans to hold on to a 600-acre chunk of El Toro until the end to allow the Marines time to possibly relocate its boot camp from cramped quarters in San Diego. However, that might not be enough space for James Jones, the Marine Corps commandant, who last week said he needed at least 1,100 acres."

"[Supervisor Cynthia] Coad told the assistant secretary she won't support Irvine's annexation if the city doesn't come through with a viable plan to fund north-county parks that includes a provision for $800,000 annually." 

"Assistant Secretary of the Navy H.T. Johnson and the U.S. General Services Administration's Gordon Creed spent the morning [Thursday] meeting individually with Orange County supervisors and the afternoon with Irvine city officials."

"Johnson told supervisors that he would honor base zoning approved last month by Orange County voters that calls for parkland and limited development; that vote killed the county's plans for an airport. But he gave no guarantees about existing activities at the base, including stables, a golf course, recreational vehicle storage and agricultural leases."

"Supervisor Todd Spitzer said he left his meeting convinced the Navy will work with Irvine. 'If they have to go the extra mile to make the deal work with Irvine, they have to make that happen,' he said."  Click here for additional comments from Spitzer.

"Supervisor Chuck Smith, a longtime supporter of a commercial airport at the base, said his message to Johnson and Creed was that annexation will be a complicated undertaking. … 'Their being ready to annex by the end of the year is a myth. The system doesn't work that way. I don't think the Navy recognized that.'"

"Protecting county taxpayers from paying any more for the upkeep of the 4,700-acre base was the main concern of Supervisor Jim Silva." 

This morning, Commissioner Jane Myers, rejected arguments by attorneys for the pro-airport side who sought to block anti-airport groups from defending Measure W. The Court granted intervener status to ETRPA, the City of Irvine, and the proponents group led by campaign chairman Bill Kogerman.

The pro-airport side failed in their effort to leave the County of Orange as the only defendant in the lawsuit brought against Measure W by Tom Naughton of the AWG, Citizens for Jobs and the Economy; Garden Grove; and OCRAA.  The County representative stated that the County was "neutral" in the matter.

A hearing on where the case will be heard was rescheduled to Monday.

"Orange County residents who fought an El Toro airport can take satisfaction in the thought that within a few years they may be driving over the ground-down remnants of the Marine Corps runways they once feared."

"In pitching their latest plans for El Toro, Irvine officials say they are consulting with concrete recyclers, with the idea of locating a recycling facility at El Toro to grind up the old runways and taxiways - as much as 3 million tons by some estimates."

Website Editor: One of the enduring pro-airport myths about El Toro reuse is that disposal of the concrete runways would represent an insurmountable problem.  Measure W writers anticipated the solution by including "material recovery/recycling" as one of the initiative's permitted uses for the former base property.

We have posted the complete article in what will soon be a new section of the website devoted to non-aviation reuse of El Toro. 

"Burying any chance of an airport at the closed El Toro Marine base, the Navy said Tuesday that it will sell the sprawling Orange County property for parks and other limited development. Just what is built will ultimately be the decision of local officials--specifically the city of Irvine, the Navy said."

"Orange County supervisors reacted to the news by canceling contracts with 15 consultants working on the proposed international airport, except for two advocacy firms that specialize in dealing with the Navy and federal bureaucracy. Supervisors Todd Spitzer and Tom Wilson--both longtime El Toro airport opponents--were the only two … who objected to continuing those two contracts" costing $35,000 per month.

"In a letter to Cynthia P. Coad… H. T. Johnson, the Navy's assistant secretary for installations, said the goal is to move El Toro 'into private hands so that it can be placed on the tax rolls for the benefit of the citizens of Orange County and the city of Irvine.'"

"Johnson, who made the final decision on El Toro, will be in Orange County on Thursday to meet with county and Irvine officials on a plan for selling the property. In a letter to Irvine Mayor Larry Agran… Johnson said the Navy wants to agree on a plan that includes city zoning and a development plan by May 31."

"The property will be sold through the General Services Administration, which sent appraisers to view the base last month. The Navy will end its El Toro lease with the county on June 30 but will honor several subleases, including those for a golf course, stables, farming and recreational vehicle storage."

"The Navy's statement didn't mention the possibility of moving the Marine Corps' West Coast boot camp to El Toro--an idea that continued to circulate Tuesday. In a statement, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Jones said the Navy's decision 'allows for a timeline that provides the Marine Corps sufficient time to study future possible land uses for El Toro.'"

"At least one airport proponent held out hope Tuesday that the Navy's intentions would change if a proposed initiative to revive an airport at El Toro qualifies for the Nov. 5 ballot. … Villa Park Councilman Bob McGowan said backers hope to restore airport zoning to the property before it is sold."  Website Editor: McGowan's group hoped to get their V-plan airport measure on the March 2002 ballot but ran out of time after collecting "about 1,000" of the necessary 71,000 plus valid signatures.

Today's Register reports that, "Barbara Lichman, a lawyer and the executive director for the [Airport Working Group], said airport supporters will file a lawsuit in about 10 days charging that the Navy's decision is based on a flawed environmental-impact report."

"I have the Navy's assurance that any auction of real property will be conducted consistent with Measure W and in cooperation with the land use planning efforts of the City of Irvine… The property will be developed for parkland and other Measure W consistent uses and not for aviation." - Congressman Christopher Cox.

"The Navy has determined that mixed land use is consistent with the Orange County general plan as recently amended by the passage of Measure W… DON and the General Services Administration (GSA) will consult closely with the El Toro Local Redevelopment Authority and the City of Irvine to determine the appropriate way to dispose of the property, while balancing the needs of the local community and the United States Government." - Navy press release.

No mention is made of a Marine Corp Recruit Depot at El Toro.

Dashing hopes for the LAX area and OCRAA representatives who petitioned the FAA to intervene, the Navy ROD states, "FAA ... has no further role in the decisionmaking process for the disposal of MCAS El Toro."

Click here for the full text of the ROD.

Today, Assistant Secretary of Navy H.T. Johnson wrote to the Commissioner of the GSA that "We envision the Navy establishing the overall agreements with the LRA and the City of Irvine, and the GSA leading the development and sales phases.  The Navy will make final decision on all converyances... I will be taking a team to meet with the City of April 25th."

In another letter, Johnson wrote to Irvine Mayor Larry Agran. "We support the [April 16] decision of the LRA to defer to the City for decisions concerning planning and reuse of El Toro."

Revisit the website as we post additional analysis of today's Navy action.

"Orange County Supervisor Chuck Smith will ask his colleagues today to consider selling more than 850 vacant military homes on the closed El Toro Marine base as transitional living and affordable housing."

"The request will come on the same day as an expected announcement by the U.S. Navy regarding the base's future and one week after the Board of Supervisors voted to allow Irvine to annex the 4,700-acre base."

"A spokesman from Smith's office did not know if the supervisor--a longtime supporter of a commercial airport at the former base--has enough votes for approval. The proposal could add a wrinkle to Irvine's bid to take over the base from the Navy and implement its plans for the site."

"'Please, give Irvine a shot,' Irvine Councilman Mike Ward said. 'It sounds like the board is trying to put another roadblock up here.'… Irvine has proposed putting faculty housing in the same area for Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine, which would add affordable housing to their plan, city officials said."

"'I guess you can say I don't have any warm feelings that Irvine is going to go for an affordable housing and transitional living plan for El Toro,' Smith said."

"Irvine Councilman Chris Mears said the timing of the supervisor's idea seemed a bit odd given that the board approved the city's plan last week. Mears noted that Smith was part of the board's three-member pro-airport majority that had delayed the base housing idea because of fears that if people moved onto the base, they would vote to be annexed to Irvine."

AB 2333, a bill to penalize Orange County if it fails to build more airport capacity was heard by the Assembly Transportation Committee this afternoon.  The bill was authored by George Nakano, a committee member whose district includes LAX.  It was originally reported that at the close of the hearing, the vote was 8-4 in favor with 10 "Yes" votes needed to bring it to the full Assembly.

Subsequently, enough members were rounded up to give the bill the necesssary votes.

A large number of website viewers sent e-mails to the committee chairman expressing their opposition to the discriminatory bill.  Approximately 50 of the writers also sent copies to this website for forwarding.  Paul Eckles, Executive Director of ETPRA, wrote that, "The many Emails and letters from your readers are very helpful.  At the next stages it will be more and more important that we can demostrate broad based opposition to this bad piece of legislation.  Thanks to you and all of your readers who wrote."

Formal support for the bill was limited to the City of El Segundo.  Opposition included the cities of Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Mission Hills, the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority and the League of California Cities, Orange County Division.

We will keep you apprised of the bill's future status as it moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee sometime in May. 

The Navy is expected to release its Record of Decision (ROD) Tuesday morning. Hopefully, the decision will answer more questions than it raises regarding El Toro's disposition.  The website is on the Navy's distribution list and will post a summary as soon as possible.

The following items are on the Board of Supervisors supplemental agenda for 9:30 AM Tuesday.

 S52A. County Counsel – Consider first reading of “An Ordinance … relating to the position of Executive Director of the Local Redevelopment Authority”; and set second reading and adoption for 5/7/02, 9:30 a.m. – ie.  Move Gary Simon's department under the County Executive Officer. Click here for related LA Times article.

S52E. Local Redevelopment Authority  - Provide direction to staff on El Toro-related issues, and terminate or take other appropriate action regarding various consultant contracts related to the El Toro planning process – ie. Start to cut $62,000 a month of lobbyist pay and other airport related consultants.

S52F. Supervisor Smith – Direct staff to enter into discussions with the Department of Navy and Department of Housing and Urban Development to facilitate the sale of 852 units at El Toro north of Irvine Blvd. for a transitional living, low income and affordable housing redevelopment program…" ie. Counter Irvine plans to use the housing for UCI faculty and staff.

Assembly bill AB 2333 will be heard in Committee in the State Legislature at 1:30 PM today. We will post a report at the conclusion of the meeting.

"Orange County Supervisor Cynthia Coad said Sunday that she believes that a potential hitch to a plan to give Irvine control of the closed El Toro Marine base will be worked out."  The Times reported yesterday that the deal to provide funding for North County parks was in jeopardy.

"Coad and Irvine Mayor Larry Agran said there's an alternative plan to raise money that won't violate state law. 'There's no question we have an intent to honor the understanding,' Agran said. 'There are a lot of ways of making good on the agreement.'" 

This front page article chronicles the 42 days between the Navy's announcement to sell the former El Toro base and the Board of Supervisors' approval of Irvine's hastily developed alternative reuse plan.  Click here for the entire piece posted on our message board's Early Bird thread.

March 6, 2002: "County government wasn't getting its airport, but those such as Agran and Spitzer who wanted a grand park at El Toro might not get the land for free, either."

"During the next month and a half, a cadre of politicians and staff members scrambled to devise an intriguing plan to stave off a land auction by persuading the county to give Irvine control of the land -- and a shot at persuading the Navy to give it the base for its own version of New York's Central Park."

"At 7 a.m. [next] Tuesday -- when the Navy calls -- Irvine officials will know whether their gambit worked."  That is when the Navy is scheduled to release its Record of Decision or ROD. Check back here for details.

"A deal to give Irvine control of the closed El Toro Marine base could unravel because state law prohibits a plan to use tax dollars generated by the base for parks elsewhere."

"Orange County Supervisor Cynthia P. Coad, who cast the swing vote last week for Irvine's bid to annex most of the 4,700-acre base, said if she doesn't get the promised funds for parks in her district she will oppose Irvine's annexation application."  The Navy would then have little choice but to sell the base piecemeal.

"The agreement struck by the county and the city calls for Irvine to divert property taxes from future development of the base to pay for new parks in north Orange County--up to $800,000 a year, according to Coad. But state law limits spending taxes from a redevelopment zone--the designation Irvine plans to give the property."

"She provided the pivotal third vote April 16 that would let Irvine take control of El Toro. She joined Supervisors Todd Spitzer and Tom Wilson. Supervisors Jim Silva and Chuck Smith voted no."

"Irvine officials said Friday they are trying to put together a plan to honor the financial promise to Coad--whether the money comes from taxes or other sources. City Atty. Joel Kuperberg said he is confident there is at least one legal mechanism for Irvine to provide money for North County parks."

"This latest El Toro wrinkle comes at a sensitive time for Irvine, which awaits an announcement Tuesday by the U.S. Navy on whether it will sell the base to private buyers."

"On a separate track, a Marine commandant said Friday he might recommend that the Navy delay its decision on the property until it can study a proposal to move the Marines' West Coast boot camp from San Diego to El Toro." See news brief below.

"When the Navy announces its plans to dispose of El Toro next week, it should leave the door open to a possible return by the Marine Corps, said Gen. James L. Jones, the nation's top Marine, on Friday."

"Jones, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said he believes the idea of moving the Marine Corps Recruit Depot from San Diego to El Toro deserves a 120-day study before a final decision is made."

"Jones said he hasn't decided whether the facility should be moved to 1,300 acres of El Toro, but he is concerned about the current depot. With only 380 acres, recruits must to travel to Camp Pendleton for training on rifle ranges."

"Jones said he believes that for the move to happen it has to make sense for San Diego and Orange counties and for the Marine Corps, which wants a 'self-contained' location for all training, including weapons, for its recruits. 'It would do little good to move to El Toro if you couldn't do (weapons) ranges there because of encroachment,' Jones said."

"The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday supported the idea on a 5-0 vote." 

Supervisor Todd Spitzer, a strong financial supporter and champion of the anti-airport drive, is holding an fiesta fundraiser on Cinco de Mayo to benefit his campaign for the State Assembly. Click here for details or call (949) 888-0178.

"The U.S. Navy was receptive to the new blue print for the "Great Park" at El Toro during a 90-minute meeting Thursday at the Pentagon, park backers said. But H.T. Johnson, assistant secretary of the Navy, didn't say whether the military will auction off or hand over to Irvine portions of the closed El Toro Marine base." That announcement will come on Tuesday.

"'We're very happy coming away from this meeting,' said Irvine Councilman Chris Mears, one of a half-dozen park backers who met with Johnson and four of his staff members."

"Mears said that when the delegation explained the proposal, it was clear that Navy officials were well- informed. A Navy official listened, via the Internet, to Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Supervisors when the panel voted 3-2 to support the proposal."

"Allan Songstad, a Laguna Hills councilman and chairman of [ETRPA] …said the Navy remains committed to ensuring that El Toro development adheres to Measure W, the anti-airport initiative approved by voters on March 5."

In a companion story, the Times reports that "Earlier this week, a contingent of elected leaders from Southern California asked Aviation Administration Administrator Jane Garvey and Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta to urge the Navy to postpone its El Toro decision and preserve the option for an airport there."

"An FAA spokesman said Thursday that the agency would not pressure the Navy to delay. 'We're not going to do anything to prevent the decisions made by the people of Orange County from going forward,' said Los Angeles-based FAA spokesman Jerry Snyder."

"'Our input has had to do with the impact of having an airport there, not whether the property would be used for an airport. That's not our decision.'"

Pro-airport Supervisor Charles Smith told the Southern California Regional Airport Association, SCRAA meeting today that HT Johnson, Assistant Secretary of the Navy "made it clear", to him and Supervisor Wilson, "that the airport is dead."

Smith told the Regional board that, "We better start working on alternative plans and not rely on El Toro."

In closed session, with Smith in attendance, the group took no action on an OCRAA request that SCRAA join the lawsuit against Measure W.

"In an eleventh-hour effort to revive an airport at the El Toro Marine base, elected officials in Los Angeles County have asked federal transportation officials to intervene with the Navy in hopes of postponing next week's expected decision to sell the closed site. The appeal from a dozen elected officials representing areas around Los Angeles International Airport was delivered by letter Tuesday to Federal Aviation Administrator Jane Garvey and Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta."

"The FAA has said repeatedly that federal law allows Orange County to determine what happens to the base; voters on March 5 replaced airport zoning at the 4,700-acre property with zoning for a large park, nature preserve and limited development."

"'There is still a great deal of life left in this debate,' [El Segundo Mayor Mike] Gordon said.

"Wrong, said Irvine Councilman Mike Ward…'The airport is dead… The people in Los Angeles need to be looking at [airports in] Palmdale and other places. This is a political move to appease some of their voters' who don't want LAX expanded."

"Among those who made the trip to Washington were [Ruth] Galanter; Sandy Jacobs, vice mayor of El Segundo; Monterey Park Mayor Francisco Alonzo; Ontario Mayor Gary Ovitz; Los Alamitos Mayor Ronald Bates; Garden Grove Councilman Mark Rosen; Art Bloomer, executive director of the Orange County Regional Airport Authority; Stacy Murphy, vice mayor of Burbank; and Larry Kirkley, mayor pro tem of Inglewood."

"To counter the lobbying onslaught, anti-airport forces this week distributed a poll to the FAA, Navy, and federal and local officials showing that 61% of Orange County voters oppose building an airport at El Toro."

"Orange County Supervisor Cynthia P. Coad, who cast Tuesday's pivotal vote to allow Irvine to annex the base, said she wants the city to put in writing a promise to share as much as $800,000 a year in property tax revenue from base development with the county. The money would be used to create more parks in north Orange County." 

California Assembly Bill AB 2333 is intended to penalize Orange County for not building airports to service the County's presumed "fair share" of regional traffic.  It proposes to withhold transportation funds related to highway and rail transit improvements.  The bill was introduced by Assemblyman George Nakano who represents the district that includes LAX.

Orange County's "fair share" is to be determined by the Southern California Association of Governments, SCAG.

The bill would empower the Southern California Regional Airport Authority, SCRAA, to review airport plans for compliance. Presumably its power would extend to cover John Wayne Airport. Supervisor Chuck Smith is Orange County's representative on SCRAA.

• Assemblyman Nakano's bill discriminates against one county.  It does not penalize the many other communities throughout the state that send their passengers to airports in neighboring counties.

• In the SCAG region, it excludes Ventura County from the formula.

• It does not deal with airport "fair share" distribution in the San Francisco or Sacramento urban regions.

Click here to e-mail The Honorable John Dutra, Chair of the Committee, with your carefully phrased request that the bill be rejected.  Identify your message with a Subject indicating Opposition to AB 2333. Include your name and regular mail address.

Send a blind copy to this website for forwarding to our lobbyists before Monday's Sacramento  meeting.

The Navy says that it will issue its Record of Decision (ROD) governing the disposition of El Toro on April 23.  While Orange County waits for this decisive document to be finalized and released, we have updated a 1997 website page that includes an example.

Click here for more information about "What is a ROD"?

"County supervisors handed El Toro to Irvine on Tuesday, voting to back the city's efforts to acquire the land from the Navy, then annex and develop it. With a series of votes, supervisors beat a retreat in the fight over El Toro, a civil war that has divided the county for nearly a decade with four elections over whether the former Marine base should become a new commercial airport."

"The plan presented by Irvine calls for a large park, a California State University, Fullerton, campus, golf courses and sports fields - all elements of last month's successful Measure W initiative, which rezoned most of the base for parks and educational uses."

"But it also includes 2,300 homes and uses like a cemetery and a new Orange County fairground."

"'This master plan is consistent with the intent of Measure W, yet produces enough revenue to build the park,' Irvine City Manager Allison Hart said during her presentation to the supervisors."

"Officials from the city will present their proposal Thursday to the Navy in Washington. The city will try to strike a deal with the Navy to hand over the base essentially for free - with the promise of a big payday in the future when the city sells parts of the land to private developers for a transit-friendly village on the southern tip of the base. "

"City officials said they will offer to zone about 440 acres already within the city limits - and thereby not restricted by Measure W's changes to county zoning - for residential and business uses. Then they will offer to sell that land to private developers to provide future revenues to the Navy - more, the city officials say they will argue, than the Navy could hope to get by selling off land limited by Measure W to open space and educational uses."

"If the Navy goes for the Irvine plan… The city then plans to pay for much of the development and improvement of the property by either selling parts to private interests, or giving parcels to public organizations that would be responsible for infrastructure improvements on their pieces of El Toro and elsewhere."

See the website's first hand report below for more details.

Click here for a map and timeline for Irvine's proposal.

"A delegation of Southern California local officials and members of Congress asked the Bush administration Tuesday to support a proposal to use the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station as a new regional airport.  That goal runs contrary to the March 5 decision by Orange County voters to oppose use of the former base for a commercial airport."

"Speaking for the delegation, El Segundo Mayor Mike Gordon said Federal Aviation Administration administrator Jane Garvey indicated the administration would not want to get in the middle of a local debate, but did want to allow time for the region to make the decision."

"The group meeting with Garvey also included officials from Los Angeles city and county and Inglewood, and Reps. Jane Harman, D-Rolling Hills, and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach. [Rohrabacher had previously announced that he was out of the El Toro debate.]" Garden Grove Councilman Mark Rosen was part of the group.

Website Editor: They argued that failure to build El Toro will adversely impact LAX neighbors, that El Toro is needed for national defense, and that litigation against Measure W is pending.

"The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided not to take a stance on a lawsuit that seeks to overturn Measure W.  The supervisors made the decision in closed session."

"The Orange County Regional Airport Authority, a loose coalition of North County cities that includes Costa Mesa, filed the March 18 challenge, claiming the initiative is 'unconstitutional, invalid and unenforceable.' The Airport Working Group, Citizens for Jobs and the Economy and Garden Grove also joined the suit."

Website Editor: The lawsuit is against the County to block enforcement of the Measure. The County is a member of OCRAA and therefore is involved in suing itself. 

The nearly 5 hour Board of Supervisors meeting ending after 6 PM this evening with a flurry of motions. Most importantly, the County will not develop a park in accordance with Measure W, will seek to get out of its lease with the Navy and will minimize its expenses for monitoring environmental cleanup.  With today's Board approval, Irvine will attempt to secure Navy support for taking on the project.

Click here for a tabulation of the major actions taken and how the supervisors split on several key issues.  Supervisor Smith repeatedly sought to delay action, particularly regarding supporting Irvine annexation and cutting off of $62,000 a month for Washington lobbyists. Supervisor Spitzer provided the main impetus to action.

Supervisors finally voted 3-2 to enter into a pre-annexation agreement with Irvine and to support Irvine's bid to acquire most of the base from the federal government. Key to this action was an agreement crafted between Supervisors Spitzer and Coad that would allocate funds from El Toro revenue and State bonds for park development in North County. To secure this agreement, Coad departed from her pro-airport colleagues and voted with Spitzer and Wilson.

While the City of Irvine had a Great Park plan that was scheduled for circulation on May 1, 2002, the City quickly crafted a revised plan "in response to the Navy's announcement [on March 6] to sell the land."  The city's new plan will be taken to Washington tomorrow.  Click for details of the mixed use project with a substantial park and educational component.

The City planners saw the need to designate areas that could be sold in order to provide revenue to the Navy. Much of the market value will be realized through commercial reuse of the 440 acres within the City boundary that were never part of Measure W zoning.

Representatives of UCI, Cal State Fullerton, the OC Fair and Exposition, the Native American Indian Cultural Center and several commercial agricultural growers stepped to the microphone to express their support for the plan. ETRPA also backed the Irvine plan.

Earlier in the day, the Board voted, 5-0, to "give due consideration and import to future decisions regarding multi-use of the El Toro facility with the United States Marine Corps or its counterpart."  This stopped far short of inviting the Marines to move the Recruit Depot from San Diego.

Today, Tuesday, at 1:30 PM, the Board of Supervisors will meet as the El Toro Local Redevelopment Authority. By all reports, the meeting must produce some serious consensus on implementation of the base reuse or the Navy will take matters into its own hands and begin a sale of the property. There may be a sale anyway, but with the County involved in the planning.

The agenda calls for "Consideration of options for future use and development of MCAS El Toro and direction to staff."  The meeting is the culmination of a crash planning process launched by El Toro Program Manager Gary Simon on February 26 in anticipation of the demise of the airport. On March 19 the Board provided Simon with pieces of guidance, none of which was subjected to a vote. The LRA spent over 7 years planning for an airport and has now given less than 7 weeks of thought to the park.  The outcome for the meeting is very unclear.

When a State Assemblyman plans hearings that were not requested, to provide belated guidance to the County, one needs to wonder who is running the show.

A new article by Supervisors Wilson and Smith, printed in the Register today, gives clues as to some of the conflicting ideas being floated, in the absence of concrete plans.

Board Chair Cynthia Coad agendized a motion to "Adopt resolution supporting re-location of Marine Corps Recruit Depot to El Toro".  She later changed the resolution to "Adopt resolution that the Board will give due consideration and import future decisions regarding multi-use of the El Toro facility with the United States Marine Corps or its counterpart". The patriotic urge to return 1,300 acres to the Marines reportedly damages Irvine's financing proposal for the base's development.

Update:  The Coad motion passes 5-0 in the morning meeting after Supervisors Wilson and Spitzer failed to get the subject moved to the afternoon land use planning discussion.

As for the actual Irvine proposal, Supervisors Wilson and Spitzer have said they support it. Supervisor Smith called it "just pie in the sky". It was shown to Supervisors Coad and Silva only yesterday so its difficult to count the votes. The public may get a look at it today.

We will post our report on the meeting sometime in the late afternoon or this evening. Hopefully the Board can pull together and not mess up this opportunity to secure the most non-aviation public benefit from the former base..

Today, the Assembly Select Committee on El Toro Reuse, headed by Assemblyman Lou Correa, announced the focus of its first hearing.  "The hearing will focus on the public benefits the closed marine base can offer the whole county."

"As I mentioned when I announced this committee, we were going to have a frank and open discussion with the residents of Orange County on the reuse of El Toro.  The first area the committee is going to discuss is the public benefits the base can bring the whole county," Assemblymember Lou Correa said.

No date has been set for the hearings.  The Committee will consist of Assembly members Lou Correa, Chairman; Patricia Bates, Vice-Chair; Bill Campbell whose district includes El Toro, Gloria McLeod whose district includes Ontario, and George Nakano whose district includes LAX. Nakano has authored a controversial Assembly bill which would penalize Orange County if a second County airport is not built.

Despite the inclusion of representatives from other airport communities, Christopher M. Leo, Esq., Chief of Staff to Correa, said that the hearings will focus on non-aviation reuse now that the voters of Orange County have spoken. The Assemblyman believes that the State has a role in the reuse discussion, Leo said, since State law governs Irvine annexation and the LRA designation.  Cal State Fullerton is interested in a campus at El Toro and the State fairgrounds might be looking for more space.

Click here for the full press release and to post your comments.

A March 19, 2002 letter from the California Air Resources Board to the FAA repeats concerns over air pollution in the South Coast Air Basin resulting from an airport at El Toro. The ARB states that the FAA should not sign off on the County airport plan. Click here for the full text.

"The Clean Air Act and general conformity regulations … require that emissions that result from a federal action (like approval of the El Toro Airport Layout Plan) not interfere with attainment or maintenance of national ambient air quality standards in any area. This provision is an important tool in our collective efforts to protect the health of Californians from the harmful effects of air pollution. We do not believe that … the El Toro Project would meet these requirements"

The FAA "conformity determination" - i.e. That the airport conforms to national clean air standards - relies on analysis in the County's EIR 573. The ARB writes, "In prior comments to the MCAS El Toro Local Redevelopment Agency, we identified a number of concerns with the adequacy of this document."

The Air Resources Board letter concludes, "We believe that the Draft [air quality] Conformity Determination does not demonstrate that the Proposed Civilian Aviation Reuse of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro would conform … We encourage you to require that the Determination be revised and reissued for comment if the property owners intend to proceed with the proposed El Toro International Airport."

The same air pollution concerns would apply to a V-plan or any other commercial airport at El Toro.

"With an important deadline for the former El Toro base on the calendar this month, it seems that everything but the kitchen sink is getting thrown into the mix of possible uses for the facility."

"Suddenly, the development of a large park, or at least one like that envisioned by Measure W proponents, was not so certain…  The park idea always has been more serious than critics contend, the product at least in concept of a long process of grass-roots community planning spearheaded by the city of Irvine. What should happen now is that the concept be vetted more fully ... As much as the initiative was portrayed as nothing more than a way to shoot down the airport, there was no mistaking its intended alternative, at least in general terms. That was that El Toro eventually be developed as a park, with its attendant educational and cultural trappings."

"The question is, will that park idea get a fair chance to be studied and implemented… it certainly deserves at least a full hearing, just as the airport had its day."

Consensus really matters …  It's why local interested parties need to line up with a unified Local Redevelopment Authority, and work with Irvine to implement a vision that somehow squares with Measure W's intent."

Click here for the entire editorial in the Early bird thread.

"Irvine officials will ask Orange County supervisors Tuesday to urge the Navy to sell the closed El Toro Marine base to Irvine and allow the city to take control of the property by Jan. 1."

"City officials said they want to develop a 440-acre section that lies within city boundaries and use the proceeds to pay for the rest of the property… The 440-acre area, known as the panhandle, spikes southward from the lower edge of the base to the San Diego Freeway. Unlike the rest of the property, it lies in Irvine and is not subject to Measure W."

"Supervisors Tom Wilson and Chuck Smith had different reactions to the briefings on Irvine's proposal. Wilson said the plan had merit; Smith called it 'smoke and mirrors.'"

"Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who backs Irvine's plan, asked county executives to prepare a draft agreement for board approval Tuesday that would allow Irvine to annex the base, now within county jurisdiction."

"At least two drafts of the agreement were circulating Friday. One called for Irvine to give up its fight against the county's plans to expand the James A. Musick Branch Jail near Lake Forest in exchange for annexation. Another provision was an agreement to share tax revenue from development of the land between the county and Irvine--a requirement before any area can be annexed."

"Irvine officials also need approval from the county for a more immediate reason: They want to mount a united front when they present their plan to Navy officials in Washington on Thursday. The county Board of Supervisors is the only local entity that can recommend a redevelopment plan to the Navy."

"Smith said two Irvine officials… presented the El Toro plan to him and Wilson but offered little more than an artist's rendering… He said the Irvine officials want the Navy to enter into a partnership in which the Navy would get paid as the property is developed. Smith predicted that suggestion would be rejected by Navy officials."

"'Given what I've seen, [the Irvine plan] is just pie in the sky,' Smith said."

"Wilson [who supports the annexation]  said the city's redevelopment concept is 'in the spirit of Measure W' but differs in some ways, including discarding a limit of 96,000 vehicle trips a day for future base development. If the city annexes the base, the county initiative won't apply to the city, though Irvine officials have pledged to follow the measure's intent."

"'We're fully supportive of Irvine's direction and planning' on annexation and its desire to negotiate a sale with the Navy, ETRPA Executive Director Paul Eckles said."

"A continued wild card in the redevelopment plan is a proposal by Marine Commandant Gen. James Jones to move the Marines' West Coast boot camp in San Diego to El Toro.  Coad put a proposed resolution on Tuesday's agenda in favor of moving the boot camp to El Toro, which Smith said he'd support."

Website Editor: All of which leads us to reread and ponder the joint press release of a few days ago - reporting that "Supervisors Wilson and Smith have shifted focus and are working together." 

"Now that John Wayne Airport will no longer have to underwrite Orange County's effort to build an airport at El Toro, it will be able to keep its surplus revenue for the first time since 1994."

"The surpluses will be used to replenish a capital reserve fund drained of $54 million to cover El Toro costs over eight years."

"John Wayne Airport couldn't keep handing over money to El Toro in coming years, [Airport Director Alan] Murphy told supervisors. Though one phase of planning was completed with the board's adoption of the airport plan, design and implementation likely would have increased the yearly financial drain, he said."

"With a new airport rejected by voters, county officials are preparing to expand John Wayne. Supervisors approved limited growth for the airport before the March 5 vote. The plan, which must be accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration, calls for slightly increasing the airport's maximum of 8.4 million passengers a year to 9.8 million. A court agreement that limits the size of the airport, which expires Dec. 31, 2005, would be extended to 2015."

"Developers are about to get their first crack at parts of the shuttered Marine base in Tustin. The Navy is ready to auction three parcels totaling 234 acres -- but not until this summer."

"A reuse plan for the 1,600-acre base calls for construction of 4,600 homes, as well as parks, schools and commercial space. The three parcels the Navy is selling are designated for residential development." The property is being auctioned subject to the local zoning plan.

"One of those parcels has small areas that need some environmental work… The Navy is responsible for the cleanup, which is expected to take four to five years. In the meantime, the successful bidder would lease the land."

In an unprecedented show of openness, the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority released data from its twelve heretofore private polls regarding El Toro. Today's release of the information is accompanied bya call for county leaders to "unite" behind a plan for reuse of the former base.  ETRPA Chairman Allan Songstad said, “This debate over the future of El Toro has gone on long enough. We hope the county will support the will of the people as expressed in Measure W.”

"A few die-hard airport supporters are floating alternative airport configurations in an effort to resurrect the airport concept. Our polling shows clearly that the issue is not what kind of airport people want – the people are opposed to any airport use of any kind at the former base," said Songstad.

The report from Decision Research of Washington D.C. finds that, "Following passage of Measure W, opposition to an international commercial airport at El Toro continues to grow, with majority opposition across virtually all demographic groups."

"Our data shows the highest level of opposition to the airport since our polling began four years ago…. A majority of voters in the North and Central portions of the county opposes the airport…. While there remains a small core of pro-airport voters, their numbers are dwindling."

"Voters continue to see increasing usage of nearby airports (other than LAX) and using John Wayne to its full capacity as solutions to meet the future air travel needs of Orange County."  Click here for the complete report in .pdf file format.

Public polls from independent sources corroborate the ETRPA findings. Click here for the website's on-line library of public opinion surveys about El Toro.

Committee for Safe and Healthy Communities, the campaign group that backed the successful Measure W initiative on the March 5, 2002 ballot called the launch of a new pro-airport El Toro initiative a waste of time and money.

The New Millennium Group failed to collect enough signatures to place their so-called V-Plan initiative on the March 2002 ballot.  They are trying again with their "Reasonable Airport, Park and Nature Preserve Initiative."

Opponents of the plan question how a local land use ordinance can tell the FAA what flight paths aircraft must follow.  The FAA has refused to study the V-Plan.  The Navy, in their Environmental Impact Study, said it "is not a reasonable alternative".

The complex initiative seeks to change more than just El Toro.  Sections of the mountains in the landing path would be designated as the Loma Ridge and San Joaquin Airport Hazard Areas.  City boundaries would be changed to add land to the airport.

The new initiative would freeze the number of planes and passengers allowed to use John Wayne Airport.  This contradicts the recent agreement between the City of Newport Beach and County Supervisors - who unanimously approved an environmental report for a seventeen- percent increase in the number of passengers allowed at the existing airport.

Bill Kogerman, Chairman of CSHC called the new measure "sour grapes". "Measure W passed, 58-42 percent.  Just because the residents of some cities didn't support it is no basis for a new election.  Every time we elect an American President, the opponent still carries a block of states. That doesn't make the national decision invalid."

Kogerman added that the committee is prepared to defend Measure W against all challenges.  Post comments here.

The number of passengers that used John Wayne airport in the past 12 months dropped to below 7.3 million, even as the airport gradually recovers from the effects of the September 11 attack.

When March 2002 operations are compared to those of the prior year's, the number of passengers, tons of cargo, number of commercial and general aviation flights are all down.

"Backers of a long-shot effort to call a fifth election to decide the fate of the former El Toro Marine base started collecting signatures on initiative petitions Wednesday…in an effort to gather at least 72,000 valid signatures by early June."

"They named their ballot measure the Reasonable Airport, Park and Nature Preserve Initiative - seeking to attract airport supporters who thought the county airport plan was not reasonable and those who voted to kill that plan last month with Measure W, which rezoned most of the base for a park."

"Airport foes, however, said they do not believe this proposal - previously known as the V Plan or the Pilots Plan - will get off the ground."

"'It's a nuisance is really what it is,' said Paul Eckles, head of [ETRPA], a coalition of anti-airport cities. 'The people of Orange County have said every which way they can that they don't want an airport at El Toro.'"

"A coalition of pro-airport cities [OCRAA] voted 8-1 Wednesday to back the initiative - even though the same coalition in the past had opposed this plan as unworkable. Backing the plan were representatives from Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton and Villa Park."

"Westminster Councilman Kermit Marsh voted no. 'I'm willing to listen to the voters,' Marsh said of the results last month when the county voted 58 percent against the airport. 'I say it's over - why keep beating a dead horse?'"

Click here for other comments on the V-Plan.

Airport opponent and park initiative financial supporter, "Assemblyman Bill Campbell, R-Villa Park, on Tuesday made official his candidacy for county supervisor. He joins Orange Councilman Mike Alvarez in the bid for Todd Spitzer's seat."

Both men were official proponents of Measure W and campaigned actively for the initiative.

"Spitzer is the Republican nominee for Campbell's Assembly district, a GOP stronghold, and is expected to easily win election in November. A special election would be held for Spitzer's seat in late January or early February." as a result of the passage of Measure V.

"Also considering entering the race are Irvine Councilman Chris Mears and Brea Councilwoman Bev Perry."

Website Editor: The election will be a winner-take-all effort with no runoff between the top vote getters.  Observers are cautiously watching to see whether a bevy of anti-airport candidates might split the vote and enable a pro-airport individual to prevail.

"Backers of an El Toro airport have lost a highly placed ally with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher announcing he is bowing out of the debate. Rohrabacher, who represents Costa Mesa, said he has been spending most of his time working to rebuild a shattered Afghanistan rather than fighting for an airport in Orange County."

"In past years, Rohrabacher has been an active airport booster, lobbying the Navy and other federal agencies when pressed into service by local groups. The outspoken congressman shifted gears after the March 5 passage of Measure W, which rezoned the base from aviation to open space and opened the door for a Great Park." 

"Nearly 500 acres at the former El Toro Marine base will be planted with strawberries under leases approved Tuesday by the Orange County Board of Supervisors."

"Pro-airport Supervisor Chuck Smith voted with anti-airport supervisors Tom Wilson and Todd Spitzer for the leases with El Toro Farms. The county will receive about $3 million a year."  For more information on the economic significance of the leases, click here for our earlier website report.

A joint press release from the offices of Supervisors Chuck Smith and Tom Wilson contains the messages upon which the two supervisors from the opposite sides of the El Toro debate can agree.  The release is headed, "Navy Focused on Sale, Marines Interested in Possible Return".

"The Navy is focused on removing the El Toro property from the books, and its mission is to put dollars back into the Navy's coffers.  With the passage of Measure W, Supervisors Wilson and Smith have shifted focus and are working together to ensure an ultimate reuse that will benefit the entire county."

They write, "The LRA meeting on April 16th will be the final opportunity for the County to coalesce.  It is our intent for the LRA to emerge unified in an effort to maximize the public benefits associated with the reuse and prevent an impending piecemeal sale of El Toro by the GSA." 

Gary Simon's report on last week's Washington trip added his flavor to the picture painted by Supervisor Tom Wilson last Friday.

Notable comments from Simon include this encouraging one: "Navy is now neutral-to-positive on annexation by the City of Irvine".  Heretofore, the Navy was unwilling to discuss the move.

Simon's report introduces the following new element: "LRA requested 60-day period to develop a unified reuse plan and schedule." Wilson, who prefers to plan methodically, had expressed a desire to have more time for the County "to get its ducks lined up", and thought the Navy might grant it. The LRA has not voted to make an official request of the Navy for more time.

There has been concern that pro-airport forces, including Chuck Smith, would try to stall the El Toro process in order to buy time for litigation, lobbying and a new airport initiative to gain momentum.  For example, a delegation opposed to LAX expansion is scheduled to go to Washington next week to lobby for an El Toro airport to serve regional demand.  El Toro airport proponents are seeking ways to create State legislation that supercedes local land use planning.

However, Simon's trip report continues, "Navy would not approve of any further delays."

Hours after his return from a series of meetings in Washington, Supervisor Tom Wilson reported that "the airport is dead".  He made the statement to a group gathered in Laguna Niguel Community Center this morning at the invitation of Assemblywoman Pat Bates.

Wilson, Supervisor Chuck Smith and staffers met with the White House, Navy and FAA.  At the FAA meeting - which included FAA Administrator Jan Garvey - Deputy Associate Administrator for Airports, Paul Galis said, the fat lady may not have sung yet "but she's waiting in the hallway warming up."

Assistant Secretary of the Navy, H.T. Johnson is determined to move the base disposal process along rapidly and "will be listening in to the Board of Supervisors meeting on April 16"… "He wants everything decided by April 23." Johnson intends to turn the property over to the General Services Administration for sale if the County (LRA) does not "coalesce" behind a consensus plan by then.

The Navy made it clear that they "have no interest in the V-plan", Wilson said. "Any attempt to delay will accelerate the Navy's decision to act quickly."

The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Jones, told the delegation that he would like 1,300 acres at El Toro for a Marine Corp Recruit Depot.  However, he would not try to raise the necessary $500 million for the move from San Diego, or seek the enabling legislation, if the County is not receptive.

At this morning's briefing, Supervisor Tom Wilson and ETRPA Chairman Alan Songstad dubbed the non-aviation Measure W-based plan under development as the "Irvine-ETRPA-Lake Forest plan", to reflect the cooperative effort underway. Leaders of the three entities are crafting a proposal that will be taken to Washington on April 18 and hopefully will receive favorable response from the Navy. Congressman Christopher Cox may join in the meetings.

Key to the Navy's reception will be whether a third Supervisor joins Wilson and Todd Spitzer in giving the Local Redevelopment Authority's support to the plan.  Wilson said the Navy was clear that they would only act on a proposal that has LRA backing.

The plan includes revenue for the Navy through a "negotiated sale" of some assets.

The Navy also "is glad to entertain requests for free Public Benefit Conveyances... What they grant will be PBC's forever", Wilson reported.  This allays fears, created by airport proponents, that land might be transferred for park purposes and then diverted to non-park development.

Supervisor-elect Chris Norby incurred a campaign debt of $195,000 in "the critical final weeks" of his campaign to unseat incumbent Supervisor Cynthia Coad.

Norby, in an April 2 letter to supporters, has asked for financial assistance to pay off this debt.  "Then all I will owe is my gratitude for your kind and generous support."  It is difficult for citizens of limited means, like schoolteacher Norby, to mount successful campaigns for office against wealthy opponents.  However, we all benefit when they do.

Please send a contribution to Chris by visiting his website and selecting a mail or credit card option.

Initiatives become law 30 days after passage.  Measure W, which passed by 58.0 to 42.0 percent on March 5, became law today. Measure A, which designated El Toro for aviation use -and everything it enacted - is now cancelled.

Because of County determination to build the airport at any cost, it took nearly 8 years and about $100 million of wasted public and private funds to stop the project.  Incredibly, there are those on the pro-airport side who are trying to continue the lost fight through litigation, lobbying and a new ballot measure. 

"Lake Forest - Two City Council members oppose the idea of building a casino at the closed El Toro Marine base.  If it ever earns long-sought federal recognition, the Juanero Band of Mission Indians would consider making a claim for a piece of the base to use for economic development, which might include a casino with residents' approval."

"A new committee chaired by Assemblyman Lou Correa will tackle El Toro and try to build consensus in the county for the future of the former Marine base."

"Correa, D-Santa Ana, had backed the El Toro airport killed by Measure W last month. He said he has asked airport foe Assemblywoman Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, to be vice chairwoman."

"Correa said he wants the committee to help local leaders and groups agree on a plan for El Toro. He is opposed to the Navy selling the base piecemeal and hopes to hold a hearing in the county before the Navy announces how it will dispose of the base."

On Friday, April 5, Assemblywoman Pat Bates will present a panel discussion on this topic at the Laguna Niguel Community Center on Aliso Creek Road.  The program begins at 7:30 AM with registration, followed by a continental breakfast. It will conclude at 9:00 AM.

Panel members include Supervisor Tom Wilson (just back from Washington), ETRPA Chairman Alan Songstad, and CSHC Chairman Bill Kogerman.

Space is limited and reservations are required.  Call 959-495-0730.

We have extracted the data on how the vote went for Measure W from the hundreds of pages published by the Registrar of Voters and available on the County's website.

Click here for the official turnout and vote count on W by city, Supervisorial, California Assembly and Senate, and US Congressional districts.  Measure W won by 58% to 42%.

The full report on all elections, with breakdowns by precint, is on the County site at http://www.oc.ca.gov/election/Live/E2/SOVnp2.pdf

Click here for previous news stories