Today's Headlines - click on date for full story
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, November 30, 2002
Experts consider air-rail transit

BBC November 28, 2002 posted November 29
Airport expansion plans face delay

OC Register, November 28, 2002
"Passenger screening passes test"
"A busy day at John Wayne Airport goes smoothly despite new security procedures."

Business Wire, November 26, 2002
Mayor Hahn Pushes Regional Air Transportation Plan
Convinces Major International Cargo Service to Commit to Ontario

Daily Pilot, November 25, 2002
"JWA passengers expected this weekend"

El Toro Info Site report, November 24, 2002
Measure W committee endorses Campbell for Supervisor

Daily Pilot, November 23, 2002
"FAA urged to extend JWA caps"
Chris Cox meets with agency's new leader on Friday to push for curfews and other noise restrictions beyond 2005."

El Toro Info Site report, November 22, 2002
Tom Coad Gives Up Supervisorial Bid; Blames Others.

Daily Pilot, November 21, 2002
"Consultant [Dave Ellis] cops to phony phone message "

OC Register, November 20, 2002
"Quick Spitzer exit vexes Coad"
"Husband of Supervisors Chairman Cynthia Coad might be barred from his own bid for office by early resignation."

El Toro Info Site report, November 19, 2002 -late post
Did blunder derail Coad ambitions?

El Toro Info Site report, November 19, 2002 - updated
Spitzer: "It has been a great ride."

El Toro Info Site report, November 17, 2002
Supervisors winding down for the year

El Toro Info Site report, November 15, 2002
Orange County and San Diego Airports compared

Transportation Corridor Agencies, November 13, 2002, posted November 14
Military-type bombs discovered

OC Register, November 14, 2002
"Board OKs settling leftover El Toro suits"

El Toro Info Site report, November 13, 2002
JWA traffic settling back to normal

Washington Post, November 12, 2002, posted November 13
"Los Angeles airport putting security safeguards in place"

Associated Press, November 12, 2002 posted November 13, 2002
"FAA: U.S. Airports Need More Runways"

El Toro Info Site report, November 13, 2002
Who uses LAX, ONT?

El Toro Info Site report, November 12, 2002
El Toro litigation winding down

El Toro Info Site report, November 10. 2002
Flight Tracker

Los Angeles Times editorial, November 10, 2002
"The Proper Vote on El Toro"

The Los Angeles Daily News, November 8, 2002, posted November 9
 "Burbank Airport expansion dropped"

Long Beach Press-Telegraph, November 7, 2002, website posted November 8
"Huge Antonovs fly to L.B."

LA Times, November 7, 2002
"El Toro Park Plan Lost Funds in Vote"
"Is the Great Park turning into the Great Lot?"

OC Register, November 7, 2002
"Bowdon against El Toro housing"

El Toro Info Site Report, November 6, 2002
Election reports of particular interest to El Toro watchers

El Toro Info Site report, November 5, 2002
Election Day

LA Times, Editorial, November 4, 2002
"A Diet for Ailing Airlines"

El Toro Info Site report, November 4, 2002
Vote tomorrow

Click here for earlier news.

"Regional aviation representatives are exploring the concept of an integrated aviation-rail system used in Germany for the Inland Empire and the rest of Southern California."

"'This just can't be a rail that is linked from Orange County to the Inland Empire, it has to be an integrated aviation system that moves people, goods and cargo,' said Peggy Ducey, chief executive officer of the Southern California Regional Airport Authority (SCRAA)."

Ducey, Ontario Councilman Paul Leon, [Orange County Supervisor Charles Smith and others] . . . went to Germany earlier this month on a SCRAA-funded mission to study that country's AIRail Service."

"Passengers check baggage and get flight boarding passes at a train station in the German city of Stuttgart, then take a 20-minute ride on a bullet train 126 miles to the boarding gate at Frankfurt Airport, Leon said."

"A satellite station in Orange County, like in Anaheim, could quickly transport people and cargo to Inland Empire airports, including Ontario International Airport and Victorville's Southern California Logistics Airport, much in the same way, Ducey said."

Website Editor: On October 23, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Aviation Task Force selected a Maglev link from Los Angeles to Ontario, San Bernadino International Airport, and March Inland Port as its preferred first segments.

El Segundo Mayor Mike Gordon, supported by Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway, argued successfully that the link run initially from West LA to Union Station and not connect to LAX. 

"Plans to expand the UK's airports will be delayed until at least next autumn, the transport secretary has told MPs. Alistair Darling was making a House of Commons statement after already announcing that the government would not appeal against a High Court decision over the expansion plans."

Website Editor: Try inserting SCAG, LAX, El Toro, Ontario, March, and JWA in the place of their counterparts in England.

"Ministers had excluded Gatwick Airport in West Sussex from the plans but the court said that was 'irrational and unfair'. New plans, including Gatwick, will now be published in the New Year."

"Ministers originally decided not to consider extending the Sussex airport because of a legal agreement made in 1979."

"Consultation on the future of England's airports - which involve proposals for a new airport in Kent and expansion at Heathrow, Stansted and Luton - will now include Gatwick."

"Mr Collins told MPs the original process had been 'flawed from the start' and had looked rushed.  'If the final conclusions are to be seen as fair and reasonable by all involved, then you and your department need to listen more, consult properly and start getting things right, rather than hopelessly wrong,' he added."

"Mr Foster said the government was taking the wrong approach by trying to predict future demand, rather than managing it. 'There is an incorrect assumption about the economic benefits to continued air expansion in this country simply becoming an international airport transit lounge,' he said."

"Meanwhile opposition to airport expansion continued on Thursday with the travel industry refusing to back plans to build a new four-runway airport at Cliffe on the Thames Estuary in Kent."

"And a referendum result was delivered to Downing Street suggesting nearly 90% of residents around Stansted Airport were opposed to plans for up to three new runways there."

"An estimated 25,500 passengers [were] flying through John Wayne Airport on Wednesday - typically one of the busiest travel days of the year. Nationwide, about 5.1 million people are expected to fly this Thanksgiving, the first holiday where government screeners have taken over security at the nation's 429 commercial airports.

" . . . officials reported few problems, though most airlines carried full passenger loads. 'People are just zipping through the (security) lines," said a local spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency created last year to beef up security at the nation's airports."

"The longest wait time all day at John Wayne Airport was 30 seconds, while the average wait at most major airports across the country was 10 minutes." 

"TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)----Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn announced today that Taiwan-based EVA Airways and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) have entered into an agreement for EVA to begin air cargo freighter operations at Ontario International Airport (ONT)."

"'To ensure Southern California's leading role in international trade and the economic benefits world trade brings to the region, it is important that Los Angeles World Airports prepares Ontario Airport as a major air cargo gateway to meet future cargo demands,' said Mayor Hahn."

"'Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) cannot bear the region's entire burden,' said Lydia Kennard, executive director of LAWA. 'I applaud Mayor Hahn for traveling around the globe to sell the benefits of all of our airports to better handle demand.'"

"Provisions of the agreement call for LAWA to develop and construct an international air cargo center at ONT, to EVA's specifications."

Website Editor: Just think about it. If LAWA ever took over El Toro, as Charles Griffin and other El Toro proponents have suggested, the mayor of Los Angeles might be promoting around-the-clock cargo operations in Orange County.

"John Wayne Airport officials are asking for the public's cooperation to operate smoothly during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday -- the most traveled weekend of the year. The busiest travel days are expected to be Wednesday through Sunday."

"John Wayne Airport, in collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration, recently launched Prepare for Takeoff, a passenger awareness campaign to inform travelers about new security measures. The campaign educates passengers about preparing for their trip by offering timesaving tips to help minimize stress."

"More information is available on the TSA Web site at www.tsa.dot.gov"

On November 19 the OC Register reported "John Wayne Airport, officials expect about 95,000 passengers - the same as last year . . LAX predicts nearly 800,000 passengers for the same period, up 110,000 from last year."

Today's Miami Herald has the AAA estimating that "air travel is expected to be up 6 percent from last year: 5.1 million will fly [nationwide] compared with 4.8 million last year." 

In a letter to Measure W supporters, Bill Kogerman, Chairman of the Committee for Safe and Healthy Communities - Yes on W, has endorsed Bill Campbell for the 3rd district supervisorial seat vacated by Todd Spitzer.

Campbell and Mike Alvarez are the only announced candidates so far for the special election that will be held on January 28. Both are standup opponents of an airport at El Toro and have earned anti-aiport support. However, others are rumored to be weighing a run at the office. Kogerman writes, "We must be mindful that the only way we can lose is if the anti-airport vote is splintered between various candidates, enabling a pro-airport candidate to steal victory."

This website has a long-standing policy against endorsing one anti-airport candidate over another and could not participate in this CSHC endorsement. However, we share Kogerman's hope that others don't jump in to fragment the vote. We would like an airport opponent to win with a big mandate.

We intend to publish a report on the El Toro-related credentials of each candidate after the December 16 deadline for filing for the election. 

"Rep. Chris Cox on Friday met with [Marion Blakely] the new head of the Federal Aviation Administration to plead the case for containing airport expansion. 'This is the No. 1 issue on my local agenda,' Cox said in a statement. 'I made it clear to the FAA that we must extend the curfews and other noise restrictions at John Wayne Airport.'"

"Some in the city [of Newport Beach] fear that the fate of the extended settlement agreement could rest on whether the FAA or the Air Transport Assn. would challenge it in court. The agency has yet to weigh in with its position on the John Wayne Settlement Agreement."

The original settlement agreement is set to expire in 2005. The new agreement would allow 85 of the noisiest flights [per day] and would raise to 9.8 million the number of passengers each year -- concessions city leaders hope will be enough to win the support of the airlines and national aviation authorities. These terms would apply for 20 years."

Website Editor: The Southern California Association of Governments is charged with estimating the region's long term aviation needs, and with planning for where to provide the capacity. SCAG has been strongly pro-El Toro but has been largely neutral on whether John Wayne utilization should be increased in line with the organization's stated policy that each county do its "fair share." 

The Times reports "County Counsel Benjamin de Mayo issued an opinion Thursday saying that in order for Tom Coad to qualify as a candidate, his voter registration form had to have been mailed and postmarked by last Saturday. Tom Coad said he put the form, showing a new address in the 3rd District, in the mail Sunday."

Elections officials received it Thursday afternoon, postmarked Monday.

Coad blamed his missed opportunity on Supervisor Todd Spitzer and others and accepted no personal blame. "'I'm very disappointed that Supervisor Spitzer used a calculated trick to thwart my candidacy,' Tom Coad said. 'I'm so disgusted and disillusioned with the Machiavellian methods that some political people think are so clever. I hope citizens will realize that there are morally bankrupt people in politics.'"

"Spitzer was in San Diego attending a retreat for Republican Assembly members and couldn't be reached for comment."

Coad previously acknowledged hearing rumors of Spitzer's possible early departure to prepare for his new job in the State Assembly. He also had the benefit of a County Counsel memo dated November 6 that spelled out the schedule for registering for a special election. Coad failed to act expeditiously on the information.

"The Coads live in west Anaheim but are building a home in North Tustin. The house isn't ready for occupancy, so Tom Coad registered at a neighbor's guesthouse to [attempt to] satisfy the residency requirements."

According to the Register, "Tom Coad [also] blamed the Republican Party establishment that is backing Assemblyman Bill Campbell, R-Villa Park. 'They don't want the will of the people, they just want the will of the people they select,' he said. 'I'm too independent.'"

"Cynthia Coad, who is required to set the date of the special election today, said Thursday that she would be attending a government conference in Pasadena, leaving the task to Vice Chairman Tom Wilson. Registrar of Voters Ros Lever is recommending the election take place Jan. 28." 

"NEWPORT BEACH -- Campaign consultant Dave Ellis has admitted creating a recorded campaign telephone message that Greenlight leaders call a deceptive tactic to benefit Ellis' client, Gary Adams, the councilman who won reelection."

"Greenlight leaders believe that the message was designed to confuse voters . . . thereby splitting [the] vote enough to give Adams the advantage."

"'We put that message in the queue with the instructions to the vendor not to execute it,' Ellis said. 'Apparently, the vendor messed up. For that, I apologize.'"

"In phone interviews this month, Ellis twice denied having anything to do with the message. But after Taylor discovered a connection between Ellis and the message, Ellis acknowledged that he had created the message, but that he never approved sending it out. We created it just in case we needed it." 

"Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Cynthia Coad's husband, Tom, might be shut out of his own bid for office by Tuesday's surprise resignation of Supervisor Todd Spitzer.  Tom Coad is planning to move into Spitzer's district to run but may not make the deadline to register to vote because of Spitzer's unexpectedly early announcement."

"The resignation set off a scramble by the Coads, who have asked county counsel Ben de Mayo to research court decisions and laws on elections, residency requirements and even whether Spitzer's resignation is official until formally accepted by the head of the board - in this case, Cynthia Coad."

"A candidate must be a resident of the district 30 days prior to pulling nominating papers. . . The Coads have lived in their west Anaheim home for 47 years but are building a new home in North Tustin. Last week, Tom Coad said, he rented a guest house from a new North Tustin neighbor and on Sunday mailed in a new voter registration form."

"Tom Coad said he had heard that Spitzer might resign early but did not give the rumors much credibility."

"Spitzer on Tuesday was not available for comment on the effect his resignation might have on Coad's candidacy. When announcing his resignation, he said,  'The demands on my time as I prepare to join the Legislature are incredible. It would be selfish of me to remain as supervisor.'"

Website Editor: Read more on this below. Does Coad have the right to run in the 3rd district just because he rented temporary quarters there? The registration form that he allegedly mailed requires a statement under oath that this is his residence. Post your comments.

This evening,  a newspaper reporter called to advise that Tom Coad is not registered to vote in the 3rd Supervisorial District. This blunder apparently makes Tom ineligible to run in the special election to replace 3rd District Supervisor Todd Spitzer. Candidates for supervisorial elections must be registered in the district that they hope to represent.

Cynthia and Tom Coad live in the 4th District. They reportedly intended to claim residency in temporary quarters in the 3rd so that Tom could run for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. County Counsel advised Cynthia Coad nearly two weeks ago about the registration requirements. They failed to act in a timely manner on the information.

In addition to not living there, the Coads do not represent the views of voters in the 3rd District on issues such as El Toro reuse, the spending of the tobacco settlement on health care, and special agreements with organized labor.

Months ago, popular anti-airport candidates Bill Campbell and Mike Alvarez announced their intentions to run for the vacated seat. Click here to post comments.

Board of Supervisors met this morning in what is Todd Spitzer's final meeting. After recounting some of the events of his term of office, Spitzer commented that "It has been a great ride . . . I am proud to be going to Sacramento to represent this county."

We are proud to have had a supervisor with Spitzer's intellect, dedication to the work of the people, and determination to do the right thing.

Early in the meeting, the Board approved item 62  to stay litigation with ETRPA over the El Toro environmental impact reports. ETRPA can reopen the litigation if unexpected circumstances ever cause the county to reactivate its airport plans. Parties to the several lawsuits are desirous of eliminating legal expenses now that El Toro appears to be off the table.

At the close of the meeting, Spitzer announced that he has been busy preparing for his new position in Sacramento and is resigning as supervisor effective as of 5 PM today. He expressed the desire to insure that the voters of his district are fully represented on the Board.

With Spitzer's departure from the Board, the Chair has three days to call a special election to be held within 56 to 70 days after occurrence of the vacancy. Candidates must file papers no later than 5 PM on the forty-third day prior to the election. Candidates must have been registered voters within the district for at least thirty days immediately preceding the deadline for filing nomination papers.

By our calculations, this means that a special election must be called for no later than Tuesday, January 28th. The deadline for candidate filings will be December 16 and the 30-day residency requirement date was this past Saturday, November 16.

The agenda of the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, November 19 includes a vote to a approve consent calendar item: "Adopt resolution authorizing County Counsel stipulating to stay all pending litigation between ETRPA and County regarding EIR 563 and EIR 573"

Supplemental material states: "Due to the passage of Measure W the County is unable to proceed with the adopted Community Reuse Plan and/or Airport System Master Plan for MCAS El Toro. Rather than continuing to expend public resources on pending El Toro-related litigation, your Board and other parties involved in the litigation have determined it is in the best interests of all parties to settle or stay the litigation.  A proposed settlement agreement was approved by your Board on November 4 and is circulating among the other parties for signature."

After Tuesday, the Board's next scheduled meeting will be on December 10 with only four members. Supervisor Todd Spitzer will be sworn in to his new Assembly seat on December 2.

On January 6, Supervisors Norby, Silva, and Wilson will be inaugurated for the 2003 year. January 7, 2003 is reserved for the election of officers and other ceremonial matters. Vice-Chairman Tom Wilson is the logical choice to head the new Board.

The Board will be back to five members in early February after a special election to replace Spitzer. A lawsuit to block implementation of Measure V and allow the governor to appoint the replacement for Spitzer is encountering legal procedural problems. It is unlikely to prevent the voter-mandated election. 

Click here for an update of the comparison between John Wayne Airport and San Diego's Lindbergh Field.

Lindbergh Field has slightly less land area than John Wayne's 501 acres. It has only one runway.

Nevertheless, San Diego was able to serve 15.2 million passengers - more than twice the number that JWA handled.  Lindbergh also processed seven times as much air cargo.

For additional comparison, Chicago's Midway airport served 15.6 million passengers last year on an airport site of just over 600 acres. Midway has several short runways with the longest measuring 6,522 feet in length.

Website Editor: If the Airport Working Group really believes that Orange County requires additional airport capacity, they need look no further than JWA. However, there is no compelling argument that airports must be located within the political boundaries of each county.

During a survey of the Upper Chiquita Canyon on Tuesday, a TCA archeological team "discovered two rusty military-type bombs".

Yesterday, the Sheriff's bomb squad and an Army unit "discovered two more bombs, for a total of four - three of which were alive. The Army detonated the bombs."

The TCA says "We are not sure how the bombs got there, but they might have originated from El Toro when it was an active military base. A local historian who recently visited the Upper Chiquita site said the area was previously used by the Marines as a test range."

As reported here previously, "County supervisors have approved a plan to settle four El Toro-related lawsuits . . .The lawsuits primarily involve challenges to the county's environmental studies for an El Toro airport, as well as its funding of a public-relations campaign for the proposed airport."

"Supervisors last week agreed in closed session to settle and will consider Tuesday a vote on suspending the litigation while other parties - including a coalition of pro-airport cities [OCRAA] - make their own decisions on settling."

"'We expect them in all probability to approve something that makes it a done deal as far as the county government is concerned,' [ETRPA's Paul] Eckles said. 'But it will be contingent on those other players ratifying their part.'"

"Ending these four lawsuits will leave alive a handful of other El Toro-related lawsuits," including one against Measure W and one against the Navy's environmental report for El Toro.

"A Los Angeles County judge in September ruled against the airport backers in their challenge of the measure. Attorney Fredric Woocher, who is representing the airport advocates, said no decision has been made yet on how to proceed with the case." Website Editor: Woocher and the Measure W opponents also lost on legal fees and owe the anti-airport groups $276,607.52.

The anti-airport cities [ETRPA] also still have a lawsuit pending that challenges a {SCAG] regional transportation plan that still includes an airport at El Toro.

October passenger traffic at JWA rebounded from last year's terrorism depressed levels. The 666,958 passengers were about normal for the month, though slightly below the October 1996 level of 671,724.

The airport continues to show little or no growth in usage since the imposition of its current capacity restrictions.

"Construction crews are knocking down walls and reconfiguring electrical wiring at Los Angeles International Airport to accommodate hundreds of bomb-detection machines due to arrive next month, in one of the most daunting airport security improvement projects in decades."

"Officials . . . said they will meet a Dec. 31 deadline to use the machines to screen all checked luggage for explosives."

"The Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency in charge of airport security, used Los Angeles as an example of how airports could comply with the law if less energy were spent fighting it."

"Despite the time and money the effort entailed, airport officials said they never doubted they could have the bomb detection machines in place by the deadline. 'It's a moral obligation that we meet these deadlines,' said Lydia Kennard, executive director of the agency that runs the airport."

"Airports need more runways and better communication with the federal government to safely handle increased air traffic, the chief of the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday."

"She emphasized safety, security and efficiency, saying the traveling public needs 'more planes, flying closer together, more safely.'''

"Blakey described new runways as the key to getting more people in and out of airports faster. Twelve new runways nationwide are scheduled to open before 2008, she said."

"New technology to help aircraft navigate during severe weather and increased use of global positioning systems will be key to improved safety, she said."

Website Editor: Among the nation's three leading airports, only LAX is not planning to add runways or significantly increase capacity.

In 1993, the Los Angeles World Airports conducted passenger surveys at Los Angeles International and Ontario Airports.  Of particular importance in the El Toro debate is the data on Orange County use of these two airports. In 1993, O.C. usage of LAX and ONT was determined to total about 5 million annual passengers.

Since then, El Toro proponents have claimed inflated numbers as high as 20 MAP. This website estimates the 2001 number to be closer to 7 MAP.

LAWA spent over $500,000 to redo the surveys in the spring and summer of 2001. Unfortunately, after completing all 21,000 planned interviews by August 2001, LAWA's contractor failed to finish the analysis.

In response to a Public Records Act request from this website, LAWA provided documents and the raw survey data. It is not fully corrected nor weighted but the information suggests to us that our 7 MAP estimate of O.C.'s percent of LAX and Ontario traffic is not far off the mark.

In September 2002, LAWA sought a new contractor to complete the analysis of the 2001 data. The new contract has not been let and results are not expected until the end of February 2003.

Meanwhile, the SCAG Aviation Task Force will recommend a revised Adopted Aviation Plan without the benefit of LAWA's data on actual usage by county. SCAG will rely on computer-generated models for passenger and air cargo forecasts.

The minutes of the Board of Supervisors' closed session with legal counsel on November 5 state "THE BOARD BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, APPROVED PROPOSED FULL OR PARTIAL SETTLEMENT IN THE CASE OF ETRPA, ET AL"

ETRPA and the county are making progress towards resolving a list of costly El Toro related lawsuits including: litigation by ETRPA against political spending on the part of the county in the Measure W campaign, by the county against Laguna Woods' removal of aviation restrictions from the City General Plan, and by ETRPA against SCAG over the 2001 Regional Transportation Plan which includes a 30 MAP El Toro airport.

ETRPA is also negotiating with SCAG to resolve the latter case.

We will publish the outcomes when they become public and update our Litigation section.

LAX operates an almost real time Internet Flight Tracker that enables website viewers to identify the aircraft overhead. Watch the Southern California skies filled with planes. Follow their locations and altitudes superimposed on an area map.  See what aircraft is taking off from JWA, landing at Long Beach, bothering the folks in Costa Mesa, or using LAX.

The site is added to our Links page or click here. More relaxing than watching an aquarium of slow moving tropical fish.

"Voters soundly rejected Proposition 51, the statewide measure that masqueraded as a traffic congestion relief package. The proposition would have pushed funding for select projects -- including about $120 million for the Great Park -- to the front of the line."

"We'll repeat what we said before the election: The proposition was ill-conceived. The title alone -- the Traffic Congestion Relief and Safe School Bus Trust Fund -- told voters what was wrong, because just 8% of the $250 million fund would have gone toward school buses."

"But pro-airport forces shouldn't try to cast Proposition 51's defeat as a referendum on the Great Park concept. That issue was settled back in March when county residents voted not to build an airport."

"The second El Toro issue was Measure B, an advisory vote that not so politely reminded the Navy to clean up the former Marine base. Voters had little to lose by supporting Measure B because cleanup is a necessary step at a base that merits a place on the federal Superfund list as one of the nation's most polluted sites." 

"The Burbank Airport Authority abandoned its long fight Friday to build a new passenger terminal, saying it was a hopeless cause in the face of broad community and political opposition."

"Airport Authority members from Burbank, Pasadena and Glendale voted 5-4 to give up the effort, saying they could not overcome opposition from the Burbank City Council or Burbank residents who passed two initiatives aimed at preventing airport expansion."

"The Airport Authority now is looking at selling or leasing the 59-acre property where the terminal was to go."

"Discussions over the proposed new terminal have been contentious for more than a decade, costing Burbank in excess of $14 million in legal fees."

"Two of the world's largest cargo planes, Russian-built Antonov 124 air freighters, lumbered out of the skies Wednesday and into Long Beach Airport on missions to carry equipment to Asia that had backlogged here because of the West Coast port lockout and resulting cargo slowdown."

"The commercial satellite equipment, which included a ground living station, computer base and generator/fuel center, all mounted onto flatbed carriers, weighed about 140,000 pounds, according to Bora Nhek and Greg McQueary, with AirFlite aviation services."

"'This shows Long Beach is not a baby airport. It can handle things like this,' said McQueary."

"The Antonov 124, with a rear loading ramp and its nose door that swings open, can carry up to 264,000 pounds of cargo in its civilian certification."

Website Editor: El Toro supporters, searching for a justification for another airport, occasionally point to a need to bring emergency supplies into the area in case of a disaster. Long Beach, with its 10,000-foot main runway, is one of several regional answers.

"With the rejection of Proposition 51, Irvine won't get $120 million it had hoped to use to begin transforming the closed El Toro Marine base into a massive open space and recreation area."

"The ballot measure was resoundingly defeated in every Orange County city -- including Irvine -- as well as statewide, suggesting that even local voters don't want general fund money redirected to the Great Park." Website editor: Voters statewide rejected the billion-dollar raid on the General Fund and the Times may be going overboard in linking its failure so closely to the park proposal.

"No problem, says Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, who was reelected Tuesday on a platform of getting the park built. He said the $120 million would have merely been icing on the cake. Agran says he is confident that fees from developers permitted to build on 15% of the 4,700-acre base will pay for the whole project .. . 'I think this sets us back maybe a year,' Agran said."

"Other park proponents warn that it's much worse than that. 'I can't imagine anyone saying this money was icing on the cake,' said former Irvine Mayor Christina L. Shea, who will rejoin the park planning process if she holds onto her razor-thin lead over Agran ally Mitch Goldstone in Tuesday's City Council election. 'This money was the cake, the plate and the serving utensils, to boot.'"

"Tuesday's vote also reflects the confusing nature of the proposition, which included dozens of projects statewide and was pitched as a 'safe school bus' and 'transportation' measure."

"Critics warned that the measure would steer funds away from education, health care and other areas to fund 'luxury' projects such as Irvine's park."

Click here for the entire story.

Major General William Bowden, "Camp Pendleton's new commanding officer said Wednesday that he wants more housing for young Marines but opposes a plan to reopen parts of the former base at El Toro to solve the housing crunch."

"Opening parts of El Toro is not a viable option for reducing the 1,900-name waiting list for base housing because of the expense and its distance from Camp Pendleton."

Supervisor Todd Spitzer won his bid to replace termed-out airport opponent Bill Campbell in the State Assembly. There will now be a vacancy to fill on the Board of Supervisors. Depending on the outcome of a legal challenge to Measure V, there will either be a special election in February or a gubernatorial appointment to fill the vacancy.

Steve Ambriz, Spitzer's assistant on the El Toro issue, won a seat on the City of Orange council along with re-elected airport opponent Carolyn Cavecche.

Anti-airport activist Gus Ayer won a place on the Fountain Valley City Council.

AWG vice-president Richard Taylor, a staunch El Toro airport booster, lost his effort to overturn the more moderate Gary Adams on the Newport Beach City Council.

In Irvine, Larry Agran won reelection as Mayor but failed to increase his 3-2 majority on the Council when former Mayor Christina Shea narrowly beat out Agran ally Mitch Goldstone.

In Lake Forest, three long-time airport opponents won re-election. The victory for Peter Herzog is important since he is Chairman of LAFCO, the group that must approve any Irvine annexation of El Toro.

In Dana Point, two candidates backed by heavy-spending developers won first-time seats on the Council. For the third vacancy, ETRPA rep Wayne Rayfield was returned to office but incumbent Harold Kaufman lost out.

In Mission Viejo, two incumbents, Sherri Butterfield and Susan Withrow lost their seats in a heated battle over city issues.

John Adams, who won friends amongst anti-airport activists during the Measure W campaign, landed a judgeship.

Measure A lost big time. Some saw this campaign spending measure as a boon to wealthy candidates like Cynthia Coad and her husband if he runs for Spitzer's vacated seat.

Measure B, the advisory-only El Toro cleanup measure, won with 60.3% of the vote. Some had predicted that it would do much better because of its focus on a popular subject, environmental cleanup.

State Proposition 51, a spending measure to provide funding for a group of projects including the Great Park in Irvine, lost with only 41.3% of the statewide vote. It faired even worse in conservative Orange County where it received only 35.3%. All of the local newspapers criticized the measure because of its diversion of State General Funds to a select group of projects. 

Results from the O.C. Registrar of Voters' office will be available here tonight or at the County's website.

Prop 51 Allocation of Motor Vehicle Taxes:
Yes - 42.1%
No -  57.9%
49.9% of precincts reporting as of 10:57 pm

Measure B Advisory El Toro cleanup measure
Yes  63.4%
 No  36.6%
Completed Precincts: 870 of 2243 as of 10:58 pm

Website editor: As of 11 pm, Measure B is on its way to passage. This non-binding advisory measure asks the Board of Supervisors to ask the Navy to please take certain actions regarding the cleanup of El Toro before it is put to any aviation or non-aviation use.

It was added to the ballot at the last minute by the unanimous vote of the supervisors in attendance. Anti--airport Todd Spitzer joined his three pro-airport colleagues in placing it before the voters.

There was no campaign for or against B. Both major newspapers and both sides in the El Toro debate sat this one out.

It was difficult to take a position against a toxic cleanup initiative. Still, I tried, because I felt that B was a do-nothing bad measure with some suspicious implications.  In the end, the voters liked motherhood, apple pie, and environmental cleanup.  It's non-binding anyway.

Proposition 51 looks like it is going to defeat. That's the measure that hoped to take a chunk of motor vehicle registration fees - State General Fund money - away from other budgetary needs and allocate it to a group of special interest projects. One of these projects was the Great Park in Irvine.

Prop 51 got a lot of deserved bad press for being a bad way to allocate scarce resources. The defeat of 51 may not help the park but it is probably good for other projects in the state's tight budget. Hopefully the Legislature and Governor will use the funds wisely for mental health, education, disaster preparedness, or other worthy purposes. 

"The word 'Amtrak' should be all it takes to persuade policymakers of the need to assert fiscal discipline in dealing with the nation's troubled airlines."

"Bankruptcy looms for United, the world's second-largest airline, and it is lobbying fiercely for a $1.8-billion federal loan guarantee. . . . It is clear that hard-pressed airlines must be viable in the long run before knocking on Uncle Sam's door -- or the nation risks traveling a dangerous track similar to the one that led to the heavily subsidized Amtrak rail system."

"Loan guarantees make little sense if an airline's costs remain out of balance with demand. . . Airlines already have grounded enough workers and aircraft to create a substantial new carrier."

"To give United the loan guarantee it's after, the federal board must decide whether the company has shed enough excess costs. It must also see a business plan that meets consumer demand for solid service and competitive pricing. When the economy does rebound, that's what the flying public will want. Absent the traveling public's endorsement, airlines risk becoming another subsidized drain on the economy."

Website Editor: Airport planners should try the same diet. To what extent will curtailed flight schedules, better utilization of the fewer planes that do fly, and longer waits cause travelers to seek other modes of transportation - or just stay home? Will the runways be as busy as some predict? I'd love to be around in 2030 to see how good a forecasting job SCAG does this time.

We recommend a "No" vote on Measure B, which was proposed by Supervisor Coad and acknowledged to be pro-airport by El Toro supporter Charles Griffin.

There was no campaign for or against B. The Register recommended not even voting on this non-binding turkey and the Times had no position either way. That is not responsible.  Bad measures should be rejected. Tell your friends. 

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