"Jose Arevalo, a 45-year-old San Bernardino, Calif., resident, doesn't take chances with Los Angeles International Airport. Last week he was there almost four hours before his 1:45 a.m. TACA airline flight to El Salvador. A ticketing line extended out of the circa-1960s terminal, twisting onto the sidewalk just feet from where passengers loaded and unloaded their cars."

"Authorities are expecting fliers to turn out in record numbers this summer: Nearly 207 million passengers will leave on flights from U.S. airports between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day--22 million more fliers than the country saw in the halcyon summer before September 11. Add to that a flurry of new, untested technology in airports, shortages of Transportation Security Administration screeners, and the tendency of cash-strapped airports to overbook flights. The result is a potential mess."

Click for the full report.

"In a biting report aimed at efforts to build one of America's largest urban parks, the Orange County Grand Jury suggests the ambitious plan could founder if left in the hands of Irvine city leaders."

"In its report, the grand jury recommends that either an elected board chosen from across the county take over development of the 1,300-acre park or that the county sue to get the property back from Irvine. The land was turned over to the city after Orange County voters killed plans for an international airport in 2002 and replaced it with park zoning."

"Without a way to ensure countywide participation in the development, jurors concluded, the park has become merely the 'Irvine Great Park'."

"The 11-page report, to be publicly released Monday, decries the Irvine City Council's move in April to assume authority over the park and the $401 million in development fees and assessments to build it."

"Mayor Beth Krom said she was disappointed with the report's conclusions given Irvine's commitment to building the regional facility. She said she would have been happy to share the park's successes with jurors but wasn't interviewed."

Website Editor: We heard unofficially that Great Park Corp Chairman Larry Agran was interviewed but can not confirm this report.

"Bill Campbell, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, declined to comment on the report Friday because it hadn't been formally released."

Click for more from the Times. . .

Click for the OC Register report of June 18. Readers are reminded that the GPC originally had a board in which Irvine members held a minority of the seats. 

"A bond measure to begin a proposed high-speed rail system appears headed for a two-year delay." Supporters of rail are concerned that too many other infrastructure bond projects will be competing for votes in 2006.

"The proposed 700-mile rail system would run from Sacramento to San Diego and would have a stop in Palmdale. At an estimated $37 billion, the system would be one of the most expensive public works projects in U.S. history."

"Supporters of the rail project argue that it would cost twice that amount to build highway and air systems to accommodate the same estimated 68 million passengers annually the rail system would serve."

More . . .

"U.S. airlines carried 0.3 percent more domestic and international passengers and flew 4.1 percent fewer flights on their systems during the first three months of 2006 than they did during the same period in 2005, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported, in a release of preliminary data."

The report ranks LAX as the nation's fourth busiest airport after Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth with Denver close behind.

The federal statistics are based on enplanements on U.S. airlines only, rather than total passengers and show a somewhat different trend than the detailed statistics this website collects each month from local airports.

"Long and potentially dangerous security lines on sidewalks in front of terminals at Los Angeles International Airport are gone 'forever,' officials declared Wednesday."

"Just two months ago, the city's airport agency and the airlines sent an urgent letter to federal officials expressing concern that a shortage of screeners at LAX this summer could cause lengthy queues and force travelers to wait on curbs, putting them at risk of a terrorist attack."

"Now, [federal] officials say, they have not only avoided a crisis during the airport's busiest travel period in years, but they also have turned the corner in shortening security lines at LAX for good."

"Average daily wait times at security checkpoints at LAX are below six minutes" . . . Larry Fetters, the Transportation Security Administration's federal security director at LAX, said in a letter to an airport official."

"The bold statement - the first time managers at LAX have ever said they have conquered stubborn lines - was met with skepticism by city officials."  "Airport officials cautioned that lines haven't disappeared from terminals, pointing to queues at ticket counters and skycap stands."  Click for more . . .

"In a five-to-two vote late Tuesday night, the [Long Beach] City Council postponed by one week a decision on whether to approve an Environmental Impact Report on improvments to the Long Beach Airport terminal."

"Armed with legal opinions, health studies and impassioned pleas, dozens of local residents Tuesday night began a calculated dismantling of an Environmental Impact Report on airport terminal improvements they say is fatally flawed."

"The goal was to convince the City Council it should overrule an earlier certification of the EIR by the city's Planning Commission. That would send the document back for more work to answer questions that if unanswered could only mean more woes for people living around Long Beach Airport, speakers argued."

"More than 170 people jammed the Council Chambers for the hearing on whether or not the EIR should be formally certified."  See story below. More . . .

"The most contentious issue in town goes before Long Beach's City Council members today, but, with the election safely behind them, they can afford to be statesmanlike. We'll see."

"The decision will be whether to certify an environmental impact report (EIR) on planned improvements to Long Beach Airport's quaint but overstressed art deco terminal. The city's Planning Commission has approved it already, unanimously."

"Residents of the airport area, worried about the effects of increased flights and traffic on the quality of their lives and the value of their real estate, equate the terminal improvements to terminal expansion."

"Worried residents deserve respect, but derailing the environmental review only postpones their concerns. The Planning Commission's decision was the right one. The council should certify the EIR."   More . . .

The editorials and letters are flying in San Diego between supporters and opponents of a commercial airport at MCAS Miramar to replace Lindbergh Field.

County planners propose shutting the existing airport and moving operations to a new larger one. We've heard that idea before.

Some North County residents are relieved that airport expansion is being proposed in the south. We've heard that one before.

In the mix of anti-Miramar voices is a familiar name . . . San Diego Taxpayers for Responsible Planning. Its leader says “Miramar is the wrong location and [is] questioning whether Lindbergh Field needs to be replaced.”

When told of this, Bill Kogerman, who founded Orange County’s Taxpayers for Responsible Planning and never heard of this newest TRP clone quipped “Maybe I should charge a franchise fee.”

State Senator Richard Alarcon's SB 32 - creating a Los Angeles County Regional Airport Authority - expired in the Legislature in January. Alarcon has introduced a new bill, SB 1738 which so far includes only the following text from the original: 

Thursday, the SCAG Aviation Technical Advisory Committee received a presentation on the John Wayne terminal expansion plan from Eric Freed, the airport's Manager for Access and Noise.

During public comments, the Editor of this website asked for the physical capacity of the airport before and after the half-billion dollar expansion. The question was not answered.

When asked again, after the meeting, Mr. Freed gave the airport's capacity as 8.4 MAP, the size for which it was designed prior to 1985. JWA served 9.6 MAP last year. He had no information on what effect the additional 300,000 square feet and six gates would have.

Bob Burnham, contract attorney for Newport Beach told his city council on August 30, 2005 that the capacity of the expanded terminal will be 11.9 million annual passengers. It appeared that Burnham was trying to reassure his bosses that JWA growth was under control.

At least two environmental impact reports - EIR 573 and 582 - put the capacity of the runways at about 14 MAP. With 20 gates, the terminal theoretically could serve this number though other bottlenecks might occur. We are unsure as to whether any study was made of how much added capacity the costly expansion is intended to buy. We will research this matter.

The expansion results from the 2002-3 settlement agreement amendment eliminating terminal size and parking limitations that were included in the original 1985 John Wayne airport settlement. Burnham provided background and a concise comparison of the original and amended agreements.

According to today's John Wayne Airport news release, “Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport decreased in May 2006 as compared to May 2005.  In May 2006, the Airport served 818,789 passengers, a decrease of 1.5% when compared to the May 2005 passenger traffic count of 831,462.”

May includes the normally busy Memorial Day weekend. Calendar year-to-date passenger totals are down 0.6 percent from last year.

While the airport’s “plan year” (April 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007) is still young, the recent trend and number of travelers so far supports our estimate that airport management and the Board of Supervisors could have allowed airlines to provide more service. Southwest Airlines requested authorization to fly an additional half-million seats but the application was denied.

In order for the airport to hit its “MAP cap” of 10.3 million passengers this plan year, airlines would have to carry 10.9 percent more passengers during the balance of the year than they did last year, but in the same number of allocated aircraft seats. This is very unlikely given the already high current load factors.

Allowing the airlines to provide the additional capacity that they have proposed would give Orange County travelers more choices and possibly better air fares.

"More than $15 million in contracts will be considered this evening by the Orange County Airport Commission as the $511 million expansion and improvement project for John Wayne Airport moves closer to construction."

"Airport staffers are recommending approval of the contracts and of seeking bids. All of the items must be approved by the supervisors."

"John Wayne Airport’s 15-year-old, 440,000-square-foot terminal will add 300,000 square feet. The number of permanent gates will go from 14 to 20, and a 2,500-slot parking lot will be built, in addition to other improvements."

"Construction is to begin this year and take five years."

For nearly ten years we have maintained two policies:

1. We do not take sides in election campaigns between airport opponents. Hence we will continue to remain on the sidelines as the Bates-DeYoung campaign fills mailboxes for five more months till the runoff.

2. We have been paying out of our own pockets to keep this website on the Internet, with no commercial advertising. We've finally decided that a small bit of cyberspace commercialism would help pay the rent and have accepted ads on just one of our pages. We hope you understand. See http://www.eltoroairport.org/involved/fedex.html. This old Fedex page from the contentious El Toro days of 1998 keeps popping up in search engines and drawing thousands of visitors from around the country.

On June 6, 1999 Orange County conducted a flight demonstration at El Toro that backfired and turned the tide against the airport. Many factors led to the defeat of the airport, but nothing galvanized grass roots opposition more than the sight and sound of commercial planes flying close overhead.

The pace of petitioning for anti-airport Measure F doubled and the initiative went on to qualify for the ballot with a record breaking 195,000 signatures. While Measure F was eventually overruled by the courts, it crippled the airport effort for more than a year and set the stage for the passage of Measure W.

The airport project never regained its momentum in the face of public opposition.

“SAN DIEGO — Airport officials Monday voted to endorse the idea of a civilian airport at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, setting up the biggest clash between the civic leadership and military brass here in decades.”

“The choice of Miramar has failed to win much support at City Hall. Mayor Jerry Sanders has said he cannot support the idea because it seems destined to fail unless the Marine Corps changes its stance, which is unlikely.”

“City Council President Scott Peters said the airport authority was like the fellow who continually is spurned by the girl of his affections but decides to send out wedding invitations anyway.”  More . .

Website Editor: Applying the San Diego planners’ criteria to other counties would produce unusual results. In Los Angeles, the consultants would rate Palmdale and possibly Ontario as too far from the city center to be economically viable. A North San Diego County supplemental airport site 38 miles from downtown San Diego was dropped from consideration for this reason.

The SD commission’s logic in choosing a military installation that had survived the base closure process, if applied to Orange County, could lead to a vote on whether to replace John Wayne Airport with part of the 5,256-acre Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station - over the objections of the surrounding communities and the Navy.

San Diego “Voters will be asked to approve part of Miramar Marine Corps Air Station as a site for a new airport for San Diego County, planners decided Monday.”

“Airport officials charged with replacing or expanding Lindbergh Field in downtown San Diego have been eyeing Miramar for years, and voted [7-2] officially Monday to put it on the November ballot. Voters will be asked to approve a plan to aggressively pursue negotiations for 3,000 acres of the Marine air base by the year 2020 for a new civilian airport, according to the measure approved by The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.”

“Military officials have blasted that plan, saying that sharing the base with a civilian airport would be dangerous and counterproductive to military training efforts. Miramar is home to helicopter and jet training. Military officials have said they will fight any plans to build an airport there.”

Click for more reports, including the regional authority’s press release.

Website Editor: If the voters say “No” there is no backup alternative offered other than Lindbergh Field. If the voters say “Yes” and the Marines say “No” there still is no backup other than Lindbergh Field. If the stalemate continues for ten years, San Diego will be right where it is today, still looking for an airport site as the clock runs out.

What do the following cities have in common - Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington DC, Orlando, Nashville?

They can be reached by non-stop flights on Southwest Airlines flights from airports in Southern California but not from John Wayne.

Southwest sought permission to fly an additional half-million seats in and out of JWA this year but was turned down. Orange County officials feared the added passengers would reduce the cushion that airport management keeps to avoid reaching the passenger cap negotiated with Newport Beach.

Barry S. Brown, Vice-President of Southwest wrote to this website on May 17 that "While we were disappointed not to receive the full allocation for which we applied, we recognize the limitations imposed at John Wayne Airport that result from the Access Plan and Regulation  [Newport Beach Settlement Agreement] and have contracted to abide by that Plan as a condition to operating at JWA."

"As future opportunities may occur, we look forward to the potential of additional service to and from JWA. For the present however, we have no plans to add additional departures or destinations."

Click for this weekend’s report from the Baltimore Sun newspaper about Southwest’s plans for expansion at locations other than Orange County.

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Aviation Technical Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting at John Wayne airport where the committee will hear an update on the JWA expansion project.

The following is from the minutes of the ATAC's previous April 13, 2006 meeting. At Congressman John Mica's  transportation subcommittee hearing in Corona: 

 Jim Ritchie, LAWA [Los Angeles World Airports], talked about facing problems while trying to convincing some non-LAWA airports to support the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). He also spoke about the need to focus on getting more passengers to use John Wayne Airport.

Website Editor: See the reports below regarding LAWA's interest in reactivating the Southern California Regional Airport Authority (SCRAA) to push regionalization of air traffic from LAX to other airports. 

Website Editor: The City of Los Angeles intends to reactivate the Southern California Regional Airport Authority that it previously spurned out of concerns that other jurisdictions might gain control of LAX. See article below. 

"Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo, said the panel missed an opportunity to convert the old El Toro Marine Corps base into a regional airport for Orange County several years ago. Harman said she hopes the new panel will avoid 'future El Toro mistakes.'"

"'Had we been able to include an El Toro airport in this regional plan to take some of the major growth that Orange County is experiencing, I think that would have been a much better solution,' she said."

"County Supervisor Don Knabe, whose 4th District includes LAX . . .  said 'The purpose of this [authority] is to disperse regionalization.'"

More from CBS . . .

The June 3 Los Angeles Times reports:  "A poorly written charter, which does not provide the [SCRAA] group with jurisdiction over existing airport operators and gives veto powers to each member . . . contributed to its failure."

"Those obstacles still exist, but Knabe [who was SCRAA's last chairman] said he would be open to reviewing the charter."

Click for June 3 reports from the Times Los Angeles local edition and several other newspapers.

At a Los Angeles World Airports 10:00 AM press conference at LAX today, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce that he intends to reactivate the old Southern California Regional Airport Authority (SCRAA).

Congresswoman Jane Harman, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, will participate with Mayor Villaraigosa in saying how the SCRAA will help regionalize air traffic and play into the LAX Master Plan settlement.

SCRAA went inactive in 2002.

Orange County El Toro opponents hoped to disband the regional organization in 2003 after gaining a majority on the Board of Supervisors but the county's representative, Supervisor Tom Wilson was unable to round up a quorum of members needed to kill it.Instead O.C. quit the group, leaving it in hibernation with a half million dollars still in its treasury.

Click here for an article from the LA Daily News.

When the El Toro property transferred to Lennar last July, the sale sank any remaining efforts to salvage the airport option. The ETRPA team and the volunteers who worked together to achieve the anti-airport victory were ready to celebrate.

There was talk of Irvine or Lennar throwing a big runway party last summer to rejoice over the successful end of the long battle and to recognize those who toiled to achieve it.  However, it didn't happen.

Eventually, ETRPA stepped forward to organize the anti-airport victory party and pass out chips of runway concrete.  It was the happy celebration many had worked and waited for. Unfortunately, it had to be held off-base at a hotel with limited space and not everyone could attend.

It was followed by an informal party, open to all, to mark the anniversary of the passage of Measure W. The ten cities that comprised ETRPA and provided most of the anti-airport money, and the grass roots activists who provided most of the manpower, had their final day together in the sun.

Finally, an El Toro "runway party" was held in April when the Great Park Conservancy threw a $250 per person "Jewel of Orange County" fundraiser.

Last month, the long-awaited symbolic start of runway demolition took place, organized not as a public victory celebration but as a media and invitees-only photo-op for Lennar and Irvine officials.

All of which leads us to the Great Park Corp draft budget proposed to the Irvine City Council for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007 and the $200,000 for "2 large scale events" tucked into the $1.1 million earmarked for "communications".

Plans are being discussed for a large public event in "late summer or early fall" 2006, heralding the coming of the Great Park. While major construction and the opening of the first stage of the Great Park is a scheduled for future years, there may be a rush to open an attention-grabbing element of the park to be shown off this fall.

By then, the airport fight will be an old story. It is likely to be a time to spotlight Irvine leaders and their plans, prior to the November city elections.