November
2000November
2000Website Direct, November 30, 2000
Judge's ruling tomorrow?
OC Register, November 30, 2000
“El Toro is topic at White House”
“ In a meeting with county officials, Clinton aides promise to
help in the transfer of the former
base.”
Website Direct, November 29, 2000 - Late
White House summit on El Toro held this evening.
LA Times, November 28, 2000
"OCTA Enlists in Battle to Tame Riverside Route"
Irvine World News, November 23, website posted
November 27, 2000
“Bring 'em on; there's room at the El Toro daycare”
LA Times, Editorial, November 26, 2000
“Pressure at John Wayne”
LA Times, November 25, 2000
"Pilots Union to FAA: Show How El Toro's Safe"
"Group wants federal official to justify his conclusions about
the risks of taking off from the former base."
OC Register, November 24, 2000
“El Toro on back burner for Navy”
“County officials call the military unresponsive and fear delays
will work in airport opponents' favor.”
Website Direct, November 23, 2000
Litigation summary updated
OC Register, November 22, 2000
“Base a likely money loser”
“County projects $3.9 million and $3.8 million losses the next
two years.”
Website direct, November 21, 2000 - evening
Ontario to get UPS China flights
Website direct, November 21, 2000 - late flash
Pro-airport supervisors to litigate against Measure
H
Website direct, November 21, 2000
John Wayne caps extension put off
LA Times, November 21, 2000
“O.C. Bucking Voter Will on Tobacco Fund”
“Spending: Supervisors reconsidering using windfall to pay off
debt since public's clear Nov. 7
mandate for health care isn't in effect yet.”
Airport magazine, November 17, website posted November
21, 2000
High Speed Rail
Antelope Valley Press November 17, 2000, Website
posted November 18
“Palmdale International Airport getting closer?”
Website Direct, November 16, 2000
High Speed Inter-City Rail Moves Forward
Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2000
"LAX Must Answer Questions About Minority Communities”
OC Register, November 15, 2000
“Supervisor backs John Wayne curfews”
Website Direct, November 14, 2000
Supervisors to discuss extending JWA caps
LA Times, November 12, 2000
“Airport's Biggest Ally Says It Has to Shrink”
“Argyros says proposed size must be halved for any hope of success.
Critics see a bait and switch.”
Website Direct, November 10, 2000
Bill Campbell elected to lead Assembly Republicans
OC Register, Decisions 2000, November 9, 2000
“El Toro colors election outcome”
LA Times, Burbank edition, November 8, 2000
posted November 9
“Burbank OKs airport measure.”
Website Direct, November 8, 2000 - updated 12:00
PM
Local election results of special interest
LA Times, November 8, 2000
“Supervisors Pooling Resources at El Toro”
“Unanimous board backs Olympic training facility, opening indoor
pool. It also hikes recreation fees.”
Website Direct, November 7, 2000
Supes vote 3-2 to add Smith to Joint Powers Authority
Website Direct, November 7, 2000 - updated 3:00
pm.
Vote Today
Website Direct, November 6, 2000
Supervisors to revisit activating regional authority
Website Direct, November 3, 2000
Newport Beach money backs Proctor
Website Direct, November 3, 2000
ETRPA reacts strongly to Bliss letter on El Toro
Website Direct, November 2, 2000
FAA letter published on-line
LA Times, November 2, 2000
“Safe El Toro Flights Possible, Official Says”
“FAA's western airport manager says airspace rules are being
revised to accommodate traffic from proposed airport.”
Website Direct, November 1, 2000
Newport Beach Pro-El Toro Group Tries to Influence
Orange City Election
(For full articles see L.A. Times at http://www.latimes.com and O.C.
Register at http://www.ocregister.com/news/
The airspace analysis report by MITRE Corporation, consultants to the FAA, is now available to the public on this website. (NOTE: This is a very large file and will open slowly.)
The report finds serious airspace conflicts facing a proposed El Toro airport. The study created headlines when the existence of a draft version was disclosed in August. The Register said “Airport layout called unsafe. FAA draft says the county's plan doesn't accommodate area's busy airspace.” The LA Times wrote, “Report to FAA Calls O.C.'s Latest El Toro Flight Plan a ‘No-Go’. Runway design poses unworkable conflicts with other jets in airspace, report says in new blow to backers.”
Herman Bliss, Manager of the FAA’s Western-Pacific Regional Airports Division minimized the significance of the report and refused to supply a copy to Supervisor Tom Wilson after their recent meeting, claiming that, “premature publication of this report would likely lead to misinterpretation.”
The report was obtained by ETRPA through its contacts.
LA Times reporter Jean Pasco said, on TV last night, that a ruling on the lawsuits against Measure F was expected tomorrow, Friday. Others are making the same speculation.
For background on the lawsuits, see the website’s Litigation page.
To receive e-mail notification of this important ruling, and other El Toro news flashes, subscribe to our confidential e-mail list. Please do not re-subscribe if you already are one of the thousands who already receive these reports, which we send out once or twice a month.
“The Clinton administration told Orange County officials at a White House meeting Wednesday that they will try to smooth the transfer of the former El Toro air base from the Navy to the county. Mickey Ibarra, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, assured the county that the administration will work to get the base properly deeded over to the county, Orange County officials said.”
“Kim Koeppen, [Supervisor Tom] Wilson's representative, said county officials were pressing federal officials to quickly pass El Toro over to the county, probably to boost their goal of putting an airport there. She favors the Navy's proceeding carefully, she said, acknowledging that delays hurt the airport effort.”
“Navy Deputy Assistant Secretary William J. Cassidy … could not be reached, and White House officials declined comment.”
Editor: Note that participants at the meeting clamed up. What was not said is as important as what was said. The comments from County officials were restrained. Since pro-airport officials typically put a very positive spin on events -and did not in this case - we stand by our prediction, below: Supervisors Smith and Silva came home with far less than they hoped to get from the meeting.
Pro-airport county officials met this evening in Washington with members of the White House staff, Loretta Sanchez’ staff, the FAA and the Department of Navy, to try to expedite transfer of El Toro to the County.
Pro-airport forces are anxious for the Navy to shortcut the environmental process for turning over the base. The Record of Decision for base transfer was originally planned to be done in March 1998 and is now at least 3 years behind that schedule.
Supervisors Chuck Smith and Jim Silva represented the county, along with members of the El Toro Program and John Wayne Airport staff. Assistants to anti-airport supervisors Todd Spitzer and Tom Wilson were allowed to observe.
No ETRPA representatives were included. However, the anti-airport group has been aggressively pressing the Navy to hold up action until the County settles on an airport plan. The only official plan for El Toro is the 1996 Community Reuse Plan for a 38 MAP El Toro airport - and has John Wayne closing to commercial traffic. The County has said that this is no longer the project, but has not selected an official alternative for the Navy to analyze in its environmental impact study.
Documents obtained from the Navy, through Freedom of Information Act requests by this website, show that Navy officials are well aware of the strong opposition to an airport, and low esteem for pro-airport County leaders, among O.C. residents. Furthermore, the Navy has been saddled with large cost overruns in its transition project, due to chaotic County planning for El Toro. It would be no surprise if the Navy sent Smith and Silva home without the early Christmas present they hoped to get from this summit.
Editor: Few things happen in OC ground transportation planning that do not play to the issue of getting passengers to an airport. When it is a road connecting Orange and Riverside Counties, the project can be seen as bringing Inland Empire residents to work at, or use an El Toro airport - or O.C. passengers to use an airport at one of the Inland Empire's closed airbases.
"Stung by criticism that they have ignored problems of chronic traffic jams along the Riverside Freeway, Orange County Transportation Authority officials announced Monday they will make the nagging issue a priority."
"Until now, Riverside County transportation officials have taken the lead on pushing for solutions to the traffic woes the two counties share. The reason for this is that many of the motorists who make the estimated 200,000 trips along the freeway daily are Riverside residents who work in Orange County. Although Riverside County housing is less expensive than Orange County's, workers are complaining increasingly about the commute."
How do you see this matter in relation to the airport debate?
“The Community Day Pre-School at the El Toro base, with its low fees, is the area's best kept secret. The buildings are fairly new almost 35,500 square feet worth and resources are ample, yet the center still has room for 150 more kids… Right now, the daycare is licensed for 214 kids but only has 58.”
“Because Community Day is considered a nonprofit organization and gets donations, tuition is on a sliding scale. It varies between $70 and $140 per child, per week, based on the parents' income. About half [of the parents] come from Irvine, and half from elsewhere.”
“Though the debate about whether to put an airport on the land rages on, daycare managers are not as concerned as they once were,” now that the County has signed a 5 year lease with the Navy allowing existing non-aviation uses to continue.
Editor: Supervisor Tom Wilson and others are looking for more non-aviation uses at the base to defray the costs of keeping it open and to reduce economic pressure to commence aviation uses. Comment on other interim ways the base can be used?
The Times often recites both sides of an issue without championing any specific solution. Today’s editorial says, “Ever since commercial jets began flying out of John Wayne Airport on Sept. 1, 1967, the county airfield's future has been up in the air. Residents and public officials have wrestled with the role the airfield should fill in serving Orange County's passenger and air freight needs, whether John Wayne alone can adequately fill those needs, and the county's responsibility in the regional airport mix.”
Today, the editorial includes a statement about John Wayne passenger caps that is rarely see in the major press. “The new passenger terminal at John Wayne and the increased parking and freeway-access improvements… give the airfield the ability to handle many more passengers than the existing 8.4 million maximum allows… Given all the factors, any new [JWA] agreement must have realistic restrictions and passenger maximums--especially if John Wayne's runway ends up being the only place for commercial aviation to land in Orange County.”
"The nation's largest union of airline pilots is challenging a Federal Aviation Administration position that flights can operate safely from a planned county airport at the vacant El Toro Marine base."
"In a letter to the FAA, officials with the Virginia-based Air Line Pilots Assn. are demanding that a ranking FAA official justify his conclusions that the county's plans for an airport at El Toro are safe, particularly plans for takeoff patterns."
Hermann Bliss, the FAA's manager of airports for the Western Pacific region, said in an Oct. 30 letter to Supervisor Tom Wilson that the airport at El Toro could be operated safely despite concerns raised by pilots' groups and air-traffic controllers. Bliss dismissed an analysis finished in May by an FAA consultant that said planes leaving El Toro couldn't take off safely to the north because skies are too crowded."
"The FAA consultant's report on El Toro was prepared by the Mitre Corp., which has been hired by the FAA to redesign the nation's flight paths. It concluded that the airspace to the north of El Toro was so saturated that departures would probably have to be made on a different runway. The report suggested that a change in the departure procedure for northern takeoffs also could address the problem."
"'For them to say this is not a big deal is crazy,' Jon Russell, the pilot union's regional safety chairman, said Friday. 'Northbound departures will create havoc.'"
"Talk of new departure procedures set off alarm bells with Robert E. McGowan, an airline pilot and member of the Villa Park City Council… McGowan said he fears the FAA may require planes departing to the north to veer left after takeoff, making a U-turn toward the coast away from hills and conflicting flight paths. That would bring jets over Villa Park, Orange, Tustin and Irvine. 'A left turn would be disastrous,' McGowan said last week… I would work against the airport if that happens."
"Such a left-hand turn was in the county's initial plan for the airport. It was eliminated after an outcry from residents."
Editor: Airport opponents are seeking to force the FAA to release the Mitre report. This website initiated a Freedom of Information Act request for all El Toro related documents, for the three months April-June 2000, when the report allegedly was being circulated, and received the following terse response from the FAA Regional Administrator: "A records search was conducted… [and] did not find any documents on file pertaining to your specific request, and we are unaware of any other offices likely to possess additional responsive records."
Both Supervisor Tom Wilson, who was refused a copy of the Mitre report by Hermann Bliss, and ETRPA have filed new demands for the report.
“County officials say their working relationship with the Navy on El
Toro has deteriorated so much that they worry about its impact on county
plans for an airport there.
Meetings have been postponed or canceled. Requests for information
get no response. Navy work schedules are changed without notice to the
county.”
“Orange County officials say they hope an El Toro summit meeting at the White House next week will help… the county asked officials at the White House to hold a summit of sorts … that will include the Navy and the Federal Aviation Administration. The meeting - which has been postponed once by the Navy, now is set to take place Thursday." Editor: Only pro-airport supervisors are invited but staff for Tom Wilson and Todd Spitzer will attend.
Navy environmental studies - which are required for the final transfer of the property to the county – have slowed. “A Navy spokesman in San Diego, where much of the El Toro work is centered, declined to comment on the county concerns. Navy Deputy Assistant Secretary William J. Cassidy, the top official over El Toro, did not respond to telephone and e-mail requests for an interview.”
“It was Cassidy to whom Chairman Smith wrote Oct. 26, expressing his concern that the Navy, through its delays and lack of communication, was aiding - intentionally or not - opponents of the proposed airport… Among the complaints cited by Smith in the letter were:”
“The postponement or cancellation of at least five meetings with Navy staff in San Diego in September and October.”
“The cancellation by Cassidy of a meeting between him, Smith and other [pro-airport] county officials in Washington, D.C., last month.”
“The discovery on that same trip of a previously unseen Navy schedule showing the transfer of the base to the county pushed from this month to next April - at least the eighth different schedule the county has seen.”
Editor: Repeated changes in the county’s airport plan has increased study costs for the Navy, created years of delay, and angered many in Washington. ETRPA is presently asking the Navy to force the county to settle on one airport plan. Right now, the county’s official plan is for a 38 MAP airport but supervisors talk of plans for everything from about 12 to 29 MAP.
The website's Litigation section has been updated. It gives a summary of the EIR 563 lawsuits and the Measure F litigation to date. News of Judge Otero's ruling is expected shortly, and will be summarized on this News page and sent to e-mail subscribers. More detailed information and analysis on the ruling will be added to the Litigation section.
“Operating the shuttered El Toro air station could cost the county about $4 million annually, the Board of Supervisors learned Tuesday, even though past reports had projected multimillion-dollar profits.”
“The county's operations at the base are projected to lose $3.9 million in the fiscal year ending next June and $3.8 million the following year, said Rob Richardson, the county's El Toro chief. By contrast, a report a year ago projected that the county would net $16 million off the base during the same two years.”
“[Supervisor Todd] Spitzer, who opposes use of the air station as a new county airport, laid blame on former County Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier.”
“Congress has approved $1.5 million for the base transition - a figure that is not calculated in the report. Further, county officials hope to get the Orange County Fire Authority to halve its $1.4 million annual fee for maintaining a station at El Toro. And Hollywood companies have expressed great interest in paying to use the base for location shoots.”
“Two of the previous El Toro studies, completed by consultants, determined that the county could net $18 million to $51 million over five years. However, Smith and other county officials said that various factors have cut into such hefty predictions: The Officers Club restaurant/bar has yet to open, the day-care center is not up to speed and many of the base's nearly 300 buildings aren't suitable to lease.”
Editor: In some quarters, there is suspicion that pro-airport leaders, like former CEO Mittermeier, see continued losses providing motivation for speedy conversion of the former base to aviation use. County foot dragging on non-aviation uses is seen as part of the strategy. Losses also give the Board majority added reason for turning to a strong executive, like Stan Oftelie of the Orange County Business Council, to take over as “El Toro czar”.
A tentative decision by the Department of Transportation today awarded UPS the right to fly direct service to China beginning April 2001. UPS currently serves China through Hong Kong.
UPS says it plans to fly “six frequencies” using Boeing 747’s, four from Ontario, CA and 2 from Newark, NJ.
The use of 747 aircraft on this long haul underscores the inadequacy of El Toro for a major airport. Pro-airport supervisors and their supporters have stated publicly that large aircraft like the 747 should not be used at El Toro. George Argyros recently suggested that "there was no reason why El Toro should be an international airport".
As if they weren’t sufficiently out of step with the voters, the Board of Supervisors decided, in closed session today, to litigate against health care Measure H - which voters passed this month. The California Attorney General’s office has announced that it expects to defend the measure on behalf of the people.
So, Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad have stepped into another mess, on the heels of their efforts against the even more popular anti-airport Measure F, which passed by a landslide in March.
The Board of Supervisors voted, 2-2-0 this morning, to postpone action on a Newport Beach request for county cooperation on a study of extending John Wayne operating limits to the year 2025. The matter will be revisited at the December 5 meeting. Supervisor Tom Wilson agendized the item at the request of the city council and over the opposition of some of his constituents.
Chairman Charles Smith voted for the Wilson motion. Smith said he also wanted staff to look at “any flight restrictions that we might want to recommend on El Toro later on.”
Supervisor Todd Spitzer asked Newport Beach Mayor John Noyes about language in the present agreement governing John Wayne, which obligates the City and County to continue to look for another airport location to serve the county. Spitzer asked, “Are you willing to amend the agreement [which you are seeking to extend] to back off from the alternate airport approach?” Noyes gave a short and long answer, the short one being “No.” Spitzer candidly said “My district wants a quid pro quo” for supporting continued caps on John Wayne. He voted against the Wilson motion.
Noyes acknowledged that private meetings have been held between Newport Beach elected officials and South County officials. He repeatedly attempted to grant legitimacy only to electeds, and to distance himself from others who have been “telling you things” [about a No John Wayne expansion, No El Toro compromise]. Since Wilson also espouses this concept, Noyes said, “We are here on behalf of the No John Wayne expansion part of Tom Wilson.”
Cynthia Coad abstained because “We were all working hard yesterday” and she wanted more time to study the issue. Jim Silva voted no for the same reason.
Post message board comments on a continuing thread by clicking here.
“Barely two weeks after Orange County voters said overwhelmingly that tobacco funds should go mostly for health care, the Board of Supervisors on Monday decided to consider spending this year's $28-million allotment to pay off government debt instead. Health care advocates were left stunned by Monday's vote.”
“Because Measure H, approved by 65% of the county's voters on Nov. 7, doesn't take effect until July, board Chairman Chuck Smith said it was time to consider spending as much as possible now on debt reduction… During the meeting, Supervisors Todd Spitzer and Tom Wilson argued with Smith to honor the original commitment and not tamper with the formula. But it was apparent that Smith knew he had the votes of fellow board members Coad and Jim Silva.”
The supervisors' actions left health care advocates angered and surprised. ‘They just don't want to listen to the will of the people’, said Michele Revelle, Orange County Medical Assn. spokeswoman.”
Editor: Smith, Silva and Coad are ignoring the will of the people on health care, just as they are ignoring the mandate of Measure F and public opposition to the El Toro airport. They also ignored the overwhelming majority of Orange County workers when they approved a sweetheart Project Labor Agreement, last year, to give unions control over 85 percent of county public works projects. Write to the newspapers.
“Florida voters last week approved a constitutional amendment that will force the state legislature to start building a high-speed rail link between the state's ‘five largest urban areas’ in three years. The 75-word ballot question called for development of a ‘high speed monorail, fixed guideway or magnetic levitation system,’ connecting existing air and ground transportation facilities to reduce traffic and increase travel alternatives.”
Opponents, “warned that the mandatory rail construction would hurt other transportation projects in the state, including airports, because legislators would be forced to use the state's transportation trust fund to build and operate the multibillion-dollar system.”
See more on high speed rail below.
“ The city of Los Angeles wants to hire a consultant to kick-start longstanding plans to develop Palmdale Airport into a full-service international airport. Taking a get-off-the-dime approach, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter successfully passed a recommendation this month ordering L.A.'s chief legislative analyst… to execute a contract with an aviation consulting firm to help ‘attract and establish significant air service at Palmdale Airport.’”
“It is Galanter's contention that [Mayor Richard] Riordan and Los Angeles World Airports officials have concentrated all their efforts into LAX expansion, which she opposes. In doing so, they have neglected plans to develop regional airports” and particularly at Palmdale and Ontario which LAWA own.
“’If they succeed in expanding LAX, it's going to be that much harder for us to do the kind of regional development that we need to do,’ she said. ‘As long as they hold out to airlines who propose to build more space at LAX, they're never going to get anything done at Palmdale or Ontario.’ Galanter's focus on establishing air service in Palmdale is primarily as a service to her constituents, she said.”
The era of American high-speed rail moves forward today when Amtrak launches 150 mph Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor. The launch will consist of daylong ceremonial activities running from Washington north to New York and Boston to mark the history-making event. Acela Express is the forerunner of high-speed rail projects now under development in 10 other corridors around the country, including California.
Seven proposals for pilot programs using magnetic levitation trains (MAGLEV) are in the final stages of competition for federal funding. One proposal is for a Nevada segment of a line to eventually link Las Vegas with Anaheim.
A California proposal would cover 85 miles; from Los Angeles International Airport to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Ontario Airport and east to March Field in Riverside County. The line could eventually extend to Northern California.
The development of high-speed rail is intended to reduce road and airport congestion.
“Airport expansion in the Los Angeles area faces a new obstacle: ‘environmental justice.’ The issue has emerged in recent months as a critical problem facing regional official planning the expansion of Los Angeles International Airport… the Federal Aviation Administration must consider the health and environmental effects of the expansion on nearby communities – and ensure that expansion doesn’t unduly harm minority areas.”
“A coalition of cities and counties opposed to the expansion are considering filing lawsuits over environmental justice concerns… These opponents are especially critical of cities in Orange County that oppose the conversion of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. The communities within several miles of El Toro are more than 80% white.”
Mike Gordon, Mayor of El Segundo and head of a coalition of nearly 80 cities and communities fighting the expansion of LAX [says] ‘We will use whatever potential means to make Orange County responsible for its share.’”
The Register article covers information first posted here yesterday afternoon, with the following additional points:
“A 1985 court settlement between the county and the city [of Newport Beach] - which capped the number of passengers that can use the airport and banned night flights - is set to expire in 2005. In 1990, a federal law ended the power of local governments to impose most restrictions on airports, including hours and noise.
“Supervisors tried in 1996 to include curfews in plans studying an El Toro airport, but were told by federal officials they had no authority to do so.”
Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau “said the city believes it can successfully strike a new deal with the county. ‘What we feel is that the FAA doesn't need to sign off on this,’ he said, ‘that the agreement is in place right now, and what we would be doing is extending it.’ Bludau said the city does not want to make significant changes in the agreement - such as the number of flights or passengers it allows.”
“Wilson said he believes the physical layout of John Wayne Airport and the night-flight curfews should be kept, but an increase in passengers at the airport should be considered.”
At their next, November 21st meeting, the Board of Supervisors will consider a request from the City Council of Newport Beach to support first steps toward extending the caps on John Wayne until the year 2025.
John Wayne airport is limited to serving 8.4 million annual passengers (MAP) under a 1985 agreement between the city, two local groups, and the county. The county has estimated the airport's physical capacity to be between 14-15 MAP. The current agreement expires in 2005.
On August 8, the city asked its supervisor, "Supervisor Tom Wilson and the Orange County Board of Supervisors to support the preparation of an environmental document by the City of Newport Beach that evaluates the impacts"of extending the caps, "with no change to the current legally permissible and authorized level of operations." At this stage, the level of the caps is not before the Board and the county only will be asked "to work cooperatively" and to share airport environmental data with the city. It is anticipated that there will be a long series of legal and legislative hurdles to be overcome.
Since August, Wilson has sought to negotiate some accommodation between his Newport Beach and South County constituents. South County opposition will make Newport Beach's task more difficult. Many citizens have argued that it is unconscionable for Newport Beach leaders to sue to overturn the countywide protections of Measure F, and simultaneously, to seek similar protection for their own backyards.
If John Wayne is capped at its current level of passenger operations, El Toro will be left as the only game in town for handling any future growth in local aviation demand. This situation is expected to result in increased pressure - from LAX neighbors and groups such as the Southern California Association of Governments - for El Toro to be built. Their mantra, expressed by LA Mayor Richard Riordan and others, is that Orange County must provide "its fair share" of airport capacity.
On the other hand, some argue that a modest increase in John Wayne utilization, while retaining curfews and most of the present noise restrictions, might lead to a relaxation of the Newport Beach-led push for El Toro. Post your opinion on the message board.
“The chief booster for a new airport at the mothballed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station says Orange County's Board of Supervisors must immediately cut the project in half to have any chance of ever getting the long-planned project off the ground. Businessman George Argyros, who has pushed the hardest, spent the most and dug the deepest for the new airfield, said the capacity of the airport currently conceived by the county is so large it wouldn't be exhausted for another 100 years.”
“South County airport opponents… accused Argyros of using bait-and-switch tactics--pushing for a smaller airport that would start growing as soon as the first planes touched down.”
“Board Chairman Chuck Smith insisted last week that changing the county's plan now would jeopardize an ongoing review by the Federal Aviation Administration and could stop the Navy's process of handing the property over to the county. Smith said he told Argyros as much in a recent meeting. ‘The FAA already has told us that if we start messing with the numbers now, they'll trash what they've done,’ Smith said. ‘I'm not about to stall the process for a couple of years.’”
“That said, Smith acknowledged that there is no support among his two pro-airport colleagues on the five-member board to build an airport that handles nearly 29 million passengers a year. Once the base is under control of the county, Smith said, he likely will recommend board approval to build only the first phase of the new airport--to serve 8.8 million passengers a year, roughly the size of John Wayne Airport.”
“That the airport will be headed back to the ballot appears certain. It would be automatic if the judge upholds Measure F, and highly likely even if he doesn't because of South County's determined opposition. In either case, a smaller version would be a far easier sell, Argyros said.”
See OC Register story on this subject. Can they sell you? Click for Message Board.
Bill Campbell of Orange was elected by his colleagues to be the minority leader in the State Assembly. While the Republicans hold only 30 of the Assembly’s 80 seats, it never hurts to have an opponent of El Toro airport – and someone not from South County - in the Assembly leadership. He succeeds Scott Baugh to the position.
Campbell observed the flight test demonstrations last June in Leisure World as the 747 flew over. He subsequently stated his opposition to the airport and support for the Measure F campaign.
“Voters didn't face any vote Tuesday on the controversial proposal to build an El Toro airport. But all local politics these days cast their shadow on the issue.” The Register story closely mirrored our website analysis posted yesterday. See also Hanna's page for commentary.
“In Irvine: Mayor-elect Larry Agran helped get two challengers elected - putting the City Council solidly back behind the Great Park plan.”
“In Mission Viejo: Voters added a different voice to the debate in Councilwoman-elect Gail Reavis, an assertive community activist who has opposed the airport at public meetings for seven years.”
“In Newport Beach: Many residents see an El Toro airport as a way to keep John Wayne Airport from absorbing more flights. Barbara Lichman was happy with the City Council results. She is chairwoman of the political-action committee for the Airport Working Group... ’If the council uses its brains, it will spend whatever amount is necessary,’ Lichman said.”
In Orange: The Airport Working Group's PAC spent $30,000 but only got a split decision: City Council incumbents Joanne Coontz and Mike Alvarez both won comfortably. Coontz backs the airport, while Alvarez is one of the few north county politicians to criticize the idea heavily.”
“The Burbank Airport expansion issue has been bandied about for decades, but was tossed onto the ballot this time by the Burbank City Council. Passage of the measure does not signal support for or opposition to expansion, but only the right of residents to ultimately decide the issue.”
“The measure requires that all action by the council, or any agreement between the city and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to relocate or expand the airport terminal, receive prior approval by Burbank voters. No argument was submitted opposing the proposal. ‘It gives the people the last say’ on airport expansion matters, Councilman Bob Kramer said.”
Editor: If only our Board of Supervisors took the same enlightened interest in the will of the people. A good subject for a letter to the newspapers.
Voting is Orange County seems to have set El Toro related positions even more deeply in concrete. Here are some of the results, showing the number of precincts where the vote is complete.
Mission Viejo City Council. (72 of 72) A heated campaign put three candidates in the spotlight for two vacancies. Political newcomer Gail Reavis won the very close race. She was the darling of many grass-roots activists - who posted support for her on the Internet message boards - because of her outspoken participation in the fight against El Toro airport. Incumbent Bill Craycraft was reelected. Incumbent Roger Faubel - a major professional player in the anti-airport campaign - finished a close third, but lost his council seat.
Laguna Niguel. (50 of 50) Three strongly anti-airport candidates won seats in this city, including newcomer to the council, Mike Whipple, one of the volunteer leaders of the Yes on F effort.
Lake Forest. (64 of 64) Council member Marcia Rudolph, a self-made expert and dedicated watchdog over the Navy’s base cleanup, took the lead to win reelection.
Tustin. (57 of 57) Jeff Thomas, who voted as a council member to endorse Measure F, was the top vote getter and won reelection. Ken Morrison worked hard as a community activist, to rally council support for Measure F, but did not make it onto a council seat.
Irvine. (111 of 111) Larry Agran ran unopposed for mayor. He will be a strong anti-airport voice. Mike Ward, long time ETRPA leader and member of the Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities executive committee, was reelected to the city council. Other council winners were Agran allies, Beth Krom and Chris Mears. Expect to hear a lot more about a Great Park at El Toro with this council lineup.
Orange City. (94 of 94) Incumbent Mike Alvarez, the only actively anti-airport, pro-Measure F name on that city ballot, came under sneak attack from the Newport Beach-based Airport Working Group. The brazen attempt by pro-El Toro forces to muck in another city’s politics failed as Alvarez won reelection. Former mayor, Joanne Coontz, who was anti-Measure F, was also elected to the council.
Fullerton. Chris Norby, who is anti-El Toro airport, and backed Measure F, received the most votes for city council.
Newport Beach. (76 of 76) Gary Proctor, who ran as “Leader for El Toro Airport”, easily gained a council seat. Proctor represents those who resist any softening of the city’s stance on El Toro.
Costa Mesa. (81 of 81) Council member Heather Somers, who frequently speaks and writes letters in support of building El Toro airport, failed to win reelection.
Los Alamitos. (10 of 10) Councilman Ron Bates won reelection. Bates surfaced for the pro-airport side during Measure F, offering 3 competing initiatives to the Board of Supervisors, which they declined to put on the ballot. He is Chairman of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), is a good speaker, and will be much in evidence for the pro-airporters in future El Toro political battles.
Measure H vs. G. (2039 of 2039) This was supposed to be about using tobacco settlement money. However, many will read the Measure H victory as further proof that pro-airport Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad are severely out-of-step with the voters. They opposed it in court, and attempted to derail the measure by placing a competing Measure G on the ballot. Measure H won with 64.7 percent, closely replicating the landslide that Measure F received in March. Measure G failed.
Ontario City Council. Not in Orange County but of interest. Debbie Acker was elected. She is a strong proponent of growing Ontario Airport and opposes building an El Toro airport.
See detailed election results live at the Registrar of Voters website.
http://www.oc.ca.gov/election/Live/e20/frame20.htm
Click
here for Message Board comment on the election.
‘The Board of Supervisors plans to develop an Olympic training facility at the closed El Toro Marine base and open its indoor pool to a renowned Irvine swim club… But the board went further Tuesday, approving another El Toro-related item by unanimous vote: increasing fees to cover costs for upgrading the base golf course, horse stables and recreational-vehicle storage lot. [The stables and RV storage will also be expanded.] The county also will open the Officers Club for weddings, receptions and conferences, aided by a permit to sell alcohol--the absence of which dried up bookings a year ago.”
"’This is the start of something good out of the base,’ [Tom] Wilson said. ‘All of this fits well into our non-aviation plan.’… The county's El Toro manager, Rob Richardson, said supervisors will be asked later this month to approve opening another 43 buildings for rental or lease at El Toro.”
Over objections from Supervisors Wilson and Spitzer, pro-airport Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad pushed ahead with the Southern California Regional Airport Authority. By 3-2, they voted this morning to appoint Charles Smith to the SCRAA and to provide funding from the El Toro Master Planning office and John Wayne airport.
Tom Wilson failed to get a 60 day continuance, to enable county counsel to study the joint powers agreement, and so that the budget for the funding could be reviewed. Wilson, with Spitzer, pointed out that the joint powers authority apparently has power to “condemn property without consent of the effected jurisdiction”. Past Supervisor Tom Reilly had expressed concerns about this when he was the county rep to SCRAA years ago.
Spitzer noted that Don Knabe, an LA County supervisor pushing to reactivate the SCRAA “to help him with his LAX problem”, had written to Chairman Smith last November and the matter was just now coming to the Board’s attention. Editor: Could the delay have anything to do with the Measure F election? Post your reactions.
Here are some of the local elections I’ll be watching closely because their outcome can have an effect on the airport debate. These comments should not be taken as endorsements since we only weigh airport-related issues. See our policy on endorsements, and statements by the candidates, in our website Elections Section.
Mission Viejo City Council. A heated campaign appears to put three candidates in the spotlight for two vacancies. Incumbent Roger Faubel has been a major professional player in the anti-airport campaign. Challenger Gail Reavis is the darling of many grass-roots activists because of her outspoken participation in the fight against El Toro airport. That leaves incumbent Bill Craycraft under attack from some for not being anti-airport enough… a sin in South County.
Orange City Council. Incumbent Mike Alvarez, the only actively anti-airport name that we recognize on that city ballot, is under sneak attack by the Newport Beach-based Airport Working Group. It’s a brazen attempt by those who want to limit John Wayne, and to build El Toro, to muck in another city’s politics.
Tustin City Council. Ken Morrisson worked hard, and was successful, as a community activist, to get the Tustin council to back Measure F. He is the target of a personal attack from those who don’t want his voice on the council.
Irvine City Council. Larry Agran is unopposed for mayor. He will be a strong anti-airport voice. The question is which of the several anti-airport candidates vying for seats on the city council will be elected. This campaign can’t end soon enough for us, because the heated debate has temporarily hurt unity in the anti-airport camp.
Measure H vs. G. This is supposed to be about using tobacco settlement money. However, many will read a Measure H victory as further proof that Supervisors Smith, Silva and Coad lack leadership and are severely out-of-step with the voters.
Follow the election results live at the Registrar of Voters website. http://www.oc.ca.gov/election/Live/e20/frame20.htm
Also on a ballot of sorts today, the Board of Supervisors met in closed session to discuss the possible appointment of another El Toro Master Development manager to succeed Courtney Wiercioch, Mike Lapin, and Rob Richardson in that musical chairs job. However, no action was taken on Cynthia Coad's premature request to agendize the matter, since the recruitment process is still scheduled to continue for another month. As reported in the press, Stan Oftelie of the Orange County Business Council is a long rumored candidate for the job.
Item 1 on tomorrow morning's Board meeting agenda is to revisit putting OC money and Charles Smith into the Southern California Regional Airport Authority... a group with potential power over El Toro and John Wayne airports.
The item reads" 1. Chairman Smith - Chairman's appointment - Southern California Regional Airport Authority - Appoint Supervisor Charles Smith as regular and Supervisor James Silva as alternate members; and authorize use of John Wayne Airport and Local Redevelopment Authority staff for necessary support services (Continued from 10/24/00, Item 1)"
Click here for more on this issue.
Dozens of candidates throughout South County are running for office as "anti-El Toro". It has become fashionable for those seeking to be elected to city councils, water boards, judgeships and school boards to claim anti-airport positions. Many of these individuals have done little or nothing on the issue. They have not contributed time nor money to the Measure F campaign, have not written anti-airport letters to the papers, and have failed to speak on the issue before the Board of Supervisors or any other group prior to this current election period.
The OC Register chided some of the excessive efforts at anti-airportism in an editorial today, "The Election Full Moon".
However, Gary Proctor of Newport Beach, and his backers are putting their money exactly where their mouth has always been. Proctor is a long-time advocate for El Toro airport. He is Chairman of the El Toro Citizens Advisory Commission (CAC). His campaign statement boldly claims, "Newport Beach, as the most affected community, has to be the leader in this fight [for El Toro]." His campaign posters label him "Leader for El Toro".
In some quarters, there is hope that Newport Beach is moderating its costly efforts to promote El Toro airport and is warming to a "No El Toro, No John Wayne expansion", Plan B. This remains to be seen.
Proctor is backed by hard-liners that want more pro-El Toro drive in the city council. Today's Register reports that he is leading in campaign contributions among the nine council candidates. A new committee, "Newport Beach Tomorrow" poured $28,000 into his campaign since Monday.
Website Direct, November 3, 2000
ETRPA reacts strongly to Bliss letter on El Toro
The Executive Director of ETRPA had strong words for Herman Bliss, Head of the FAA Airports Division for the Western-Pacific Region, following Bliss’ October 30 letter favorable to an El Toro airport.
In a press release headlined “El Toro Not Proven Safe for Commercial Aviation”, ETRPA’s Paul Eckles said of Bliss, “Putting the cart before the horse seems to be the best description of Mr. Bliss’ conclusion. The earliest completion date for the FAA’s complete analysis is March 2001… his conclusion was reached prior to the Federal Aviation Administration completing its own detailed airspace analysis.”
“The real question completely avoided by Bliss was [not whether some unspecified airport design could work, but] -- can the current proposed El Toro airport plan be made safe?” said Eckles.
“His opinions as a career federal bureaucrat have failed to sway the view of the pilot’s unions and air transportation experts who remained convinced that El Toro as proposed by the Board of Supervisor’s majority is unsafe.”
“’Millions of Americans place their lives in the hands of pilots every day to safely depart and arrive at their destinations. We have confidence in the professional skill and training of these airline professionals, but I think it’s safe to say that the flying public does not have the same confidence in obscure career bureaucrats from a regional office of the FAA,’ stated Eckles.”
Eckles also challenged Bliss’ unwillingness to allow public access to airspace studies conducted for the FAA. The El Toro Airport website has had similar experiences. We have been filing Freedom of Information Act requests with the FAA every three months since July of 1998. While other Divisions have provided documents in accordance with the Act, some of which have shed light on the planning process, Mr. Bliss’s Airports Division has generally stonewalled and either delayed or completely withheld material of real consequence.
Click here for the FAA Western-Pacific Region, Airports Division, letter to Tom Wilson. Supervisor Wilson is quoted in the OC Register as saying, "'I can certainly tell you, they are standing by the county data - 'Everything is fine.' That bothers me considerably.' Wilson said. ' I am skeptical.'"
“The Federal Aviation Administration is reworking local airspace procedures to accommodate flights at a proposed airport at the closed El Toro Marine base… ‘We have concluded that flights from the existing facility could be safely accommodated,’ wrote Herman Bliss, manager of airports for the FAA's western region. ‘The FAA is currently developing preliminary instrument departure and arrival procedures that would ensure aircraft are operated safely,’ Bliss said.”
“In August, a preliminary study completed for the FAA by the Center for Aviation System Development in McLean, Va., concluded that airspace north of El Toro was too congested for planes to depart as the county had proposed. Bliss' letter said the center's study was ‘only a portion of the total analysis’ and doesn't reflect the FAA's position on El Toro. A final analysis of the proposed airport at El Toro will be completed in March, he wrote.”
“’We don't deny that you could make an airport work at the site. The question is whether you can make the airport that the county has proposed safe,’ said Paul Eckles, executive director of [ETRPA] a nine-city South County coalition opposed to the airport.”
“Addressing other Wilson concerns, Bliss said the FAA is not studying western takeoffs over Irvine because they are not allowed in the county's plan.” Click here for information about pilots’ right to chose a western takeoff.
A largely Newport Beach led, pro-El Toro airport group is mailing hit pieces attacking City of Orange Councilman Mike Alvarez, and promoting the candidacy of his opponents, Joanne Coontz and Scott Steiner. The source of the mail piece is identified by only a small corner mark as, “AWG PAC, PO Box 936, Tustin CA 92781”. AWG is the Newport Beach/Costa Mesa-based Airport Working Group, which uses a Tustin PO box when it tries to downplay its true identity outside of the Newport Beach area.
The AWG's sole activity is promoting restrictions on the use of John Wayne Airport and the building of a new county airport at El Toro. Mike Alvarez has been outspoken in his opposition to El Toro, noting that the county’s only official plan for the airport has the heaviest aircraft, including nighttime cargo planes, departing to the northwest over Orange and other central county cities.
The Airport Working Group also is one of the litigants, along the City of Newport Beach and a George Argyros-funded group, suing to overturn Measure F in court. The measure gives voters final approval over the placement of airports and large jails near homes.
Mike Alvarez was the only member of the Orange City Council to support Measure F, which passed by a landslide in March 2000. Joanne Coontz campaigned against the measure and voted against it in a city council resolution. Residents of the City of Orange - siding with Alvarez - voted 60.4 percent to 39.6 percent in favor of Measure F.
