NEWS - December 2003
El Toro Info Site report
2003 - THE EL TORO YEAR IN REVIEW
LA Times, December 28, 2003
"2 Temporary Passenger Gates Being Built at JWA"
El Toro Info Site Report, December 26, 2003
Register - Top stories of 2003
CNN.com, December 24, 2003
"Terror fears cancel Air France flights to L.A".
El Toro Info Site report, December 24, 2003
From the Heritage Fields December Project Update
Invitation for Bid and Auction Commencement
El Toro Info Site report, December 22, 2003
JWA passenger utilization is up
LA Times Travel, December 21, 2003
"Light rail links JFK to city transit"
El Toro Info Site report, December 18, 2003
ALUC refuses to revise El Toro restrictions
Los Angeles Daily News Editorial, December 18,
2003
"Winged pigs"
"SCAG dreams of Palmdale Airport expansion"
El Toro Info Site report, December 17,
2003 - updated
AWG lawsuit in court this morning; No decision.
El Toro Info Site report, December 17, 2003
Where will air passenger traffic originate?
OC Register, December 16, 2003
"Anaheim-Vegas train gets feasibility funds"
"Project is being touted, in part, as a way to link O.C.
to Ontario airport."
OC Register Commentary, December, 14, 2003
"Airport cowboys should ride off into sunset"
El Toro Info Site report, December 11, 2003
- updated
Annexation delayed by Newport group
El Toro Info Site report, December
10, 2003
CSUF survey shows opposition to LAX takeover
LA Times Editorial, December 10, 2003
"A First Step for LAX"
San Diego Union-Tribune,
December 9, 2003
"Congressional spending bill scolds
S.D. airport authority"
LA Daily News, December 8, 2003
"Faster LAX check-in fails to get
off ground"
OC Register, Commentary, December 7, 2003
"Smith grossly distorts outlook for
Great Park"
LA Times, December 7, 2003
"Airbus Super-Sizes"
LA Times, December 5, 2003
- updated December 6
"Great Park Board to Meet for
First Time"
El Toro Info Site Report, December 5, 2003
Lawsuit hearing delayed
El Toro Info Site report, December 5, 2003
Who Uses Ontario Airport - Revisited
El Toro Info Site Report, December 3, 2003
Dorothy Ann Kogerman 1942-2003
El Toro Info Site Report, December 3, 2003
"El Toro concerns virtually
evaporated"
Daily Breeze,
December 3, 2003
"Virgin may put new airline
base at LAX"
Daily Pilot, December 2, 2003
"Laguna voices noise complaints
about JWA"
El Toro Info Site report, December 2, 2003
Great Park Corporation
Inaugural Meeting Set For December 5, 2003
LA Times,
Editorial, December 1, 2003
A Half-Baked LAX Plan
Click here for previous news stories
2003 - THE EL TORO YEAR IN REVIEW
The long fight over El Toro nears its conclusion. Here are a few of the
stories that made our
website headlines.
JANUARY - After a seesaw court battle over the legality of Measure V,
Orange County voters win the right to elect Todd Spitzer's replacement on
the Board of Supervisors. Bill Campbell wins the special election. With Campbell,
Tom Wilson and Chris Norby, El Toro opponents have a 3-2 majority on the
board for the first time.
FEBRUARY - The Board of Supervisors rescinds previous plans for an airport
at El Toro.
MARCH - The Board votes, 3-2, to approve a pre-annexation tax-sharing
agreement with Irvine giving the County 82 percent of the revenue from El
Toro. Supervisors Smith and Silva vote "No".
APRIL - Supervisors vote to withdraw Orange County from the Orange County
Regional Airport Authority, OCRAA, and the Southern California Regional
Airport Authority, SCRAA.
JUNE - A secret attempt by Los Angeles to takeover El Toro is revealed.
State Senator Ken Murray introduces a bill in the legislature backing the
plan. Supervisors Smith and Silva write to Transportation Secretary Mineta,
endorsing the attempt to make El Toro an adjunct of LAX. . The Navy and FAA
say "No". In the resultant controversy, the Board dumps Smith as O.C.'s representative
to the Southern California Association of Governments, SCAG.
The Airport Working Group sues to try to block Irvine annexation.
JULY - The Board votes, 3-2 to rescinds El Toro-related avigation easements.
SEPTEMBER - Controversy mounts over LA Mayor Hahn's $9 billion plan to
remodel LAX, reduce the number of gates to restrict its capacity and to
build a remote passenger check in facility.
The Great Park Corporation forms to manage the park development.
OCTOBER - The Southern California Association of Governments, SCAG, releases
its draft 2004 regional transportation plan. El Toro airport is dropped
from the plan.
NOVEMBER - The Airport Working Group settles its lawsuit against the
Department of Defense without achieving its goal of delaying the Navy's
sale of the base.
The Local Agency Formation Commission, LAFCO, approves Irvine's annexation
of El Toro.
DECEMBER - The AWG stalls the annexation into January 2004.
PREDICTIONS FOR 2004:
In 2004, Mayor Hahn's plan for restricting the growth of LAX will generate
more controversy. LA's
push to reallocate much of the regional air passenger capacity to other airports
will encounter resistance. Interest in using El Toro will persist.
Despite AWG efforts, Irvine's annexation of the base will become official
and the Navy will hold its land auction. Completion of the sale, transfer
of title, and the start of demolition of the runways will drag on considerably
longer than originally expected.
El Toro advocates, including Supervisor Smith and BOS vice-Chairman
Silva, will try to use the additional time to resurrect their plans.
Diehards from Orange County and Los Angeles will lobby Sacramento and Washington
for an El Toro airport under Los Angeles control. When they fail,
the game finally will be over.
LA Times, December 28, 2003
"2 Temporary Passenger Gates Being Built at JWA"
"Construction is underway on two temporary gates at John Wayne Airport
that will serve passengers until the main terminal can add six permanent
gates to accommodate projected growth."
"The $1.1-million temporary facilities will be housed in two modular
structures at the terminal's north and south ends. Each can handle 250 passengers
at a time."
"John Wayne Airport handles about 8 million
passengers a year. The airport is authorized by the Federal Aviation
Administration to accommodate 10.3 million passengers a year until 2011,
when the cap increases to 10.8 million travelers."
El Toro Info Site Report, December 26, 2003
Register - Top stories of 2003
Next week, we will post our review of the year and forecasts for 2004.
Overall, our brief
predictions for 2003, made a year ago, hit the mark.
One of the big stories of the past 12 months is that El Toro no longer
is a big story. The airport debate has nearly disappeared from the concerns
of most residents according
to a recent public opinion poll.
Surprisingly, El Toro didn't make the OC Register's
top 10 list of local stories published today. We would have expected
the demise of the costly and long-running project to receive more notice.
CNN.com, December 24, 2003
"Terror fears cancel Air France flights to L.A".
"Pentagon official: Attacks using airliners a major concern"
"Air France flights to and from Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday
were canceled amid fears of a possible terrorist strike. The decision
came after consultation between U.S. and French authorities, a senior
U.S. official said."
"A Pentagon official told CNN on Wednesday the possibility of an attack
using an airliner -- either one coming to the United States from Mexico
or an Air France plane -- remains a major concern."
"Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has warned that intelligence
indicates terrorists are hoping to pull off an attack as big -- or bigger
-- than the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The biggest worry was the possibility that al Qaeda could hijack a plane
from another country and use it as a weapon."
Website Editor: Click
for the entire story. Then try to figure out if Mayor Hahn's $9
billion remodel of LAX will do much to increase security against hijacked
planes flying here from foreign countries.
El Toro Info Site report, December 24, 2003
From the Heritage Fields December Project Update
Invitation for Bid and Auction Commencement
As the end of 2003
approaches, we continue to prepare for the planned 2004 U.S.
General Services Administration Online Auction of “Heritage Fields”, the
former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Orange County, California.
At the present time, many of the necessary project milestones have been
realized, and much of the pre-work required to conduct a successful Online
Auction has been completed. The next important item is the issuance of
the “Invitation for Bid” (IFB) document. The IFB booklet will summarize
the auction offering, and will be the Government’s Offering Memorandum.
In addition to providing data on the property itself, the IFB will also
spell out the terms and conditions under which the property will be made
available for sale. It is expected that the IFB will be available in early
2004. In order to allow all interested bidders the opportunity to assemble
the financial and informational resources needed to participate in bidding,
the auction will commence 60 to 75 days subsequent to the issuance of the
IFB. A specific auction commencement date will be provided in the IFB booklet.
El Toro Info Site report, December 22, 2003
JWA passenger utilization is up
Passenger
traffic at John Wayne Airport was 8 percent ahead of the prior
year through November. The airport is likely to finish 2003 at or slightly
above the previous negotiated limit of 8.4 million annual passengers.
Orange County is helping to meet regional passenger demand. The
John Wayne cap was raised to 10.3 MAP this year and will increase to
10.8 MAP on January 1, 2011. Planning is underway for an additional terminal.
LA Times Travel, December 21, 2003
"Light rail links JFK to city transit"
"The long-awaited AirTrain, designed
to whisk passengers to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport
in New York for a fraction of taxi fares, was scheduled to begin operating
last week."
"The AirTrain fare, payable at the Jamaica [subway] and Howard
Beach [Long Island Rail Road and subway] stations, is $5 each way."
"One-way trips to Manhattan by subway and AirTrain total $7 and
take about an hour."
"One-way taxi fare from JFK to Manhattan is set at $35, plus tolls,
and the trip takes up to an hour in off-peak times."
Website Editor: The New York and
Los Angeles areas have similar air service demands but very
different strategies for meeting the need. New York employs every possible
means for increasing the accessibility and utililization of its existing
airports. It has no discernible airport plan for beyond the next ten
years.
Los Angeles seeks to cap LAX, Long Beach and John Wayne and force future
demand into new outlying regional airports at Palmdale, March, San Bernardino
and Riverside.
El Toro Info Site report, December 18, 2003
ALUC refuses to revise El Toro restrictions
At today's meeting of the Airport Land Use Commission, Commissioner
Denny Harris requested the chairman agendize, for discussion at the
next meeting, a change to the Airport Environs Land Use Plan for El
Toro. Harris, and Commissioner Tom O'Malley, sought to discuss revisions
in the land use plan to remove the obsolete 1981 military jet noise limits
that interfere with development around the former Marine airbase.
Chairman Gerald Breshnahan, supported by ALUC Executive Officer
Joan Golding, refused to agendize the item despite the advanced notice.
Breshnahan is the John Wayne Airport appointee to the commission. Golding
is a John Wayne employee assigned to the commission by the Airport Manager.
They continue
to ignore the Board of Supervisors February 25th resolution to
the commission to remove the airport-related development restrictions
around El Toro. The supervisors appear powerless to do anything about
the commission's continued disregard for board policy.
Los Angeles Daily News Editorial, December
18, 2003
"Winged pigs"
"SCAG dreams of Palmdale Airport expansion"
Just when El Toro opponents may be taking comfort in the fact
that SCAG has a plan for meeting regional aviation demand without El
Toro, we are reminded that it's not a slam-dunk. The Daily News - serving
areas north and west of downtown - writes, "If, as the Southern California
Association of Governments predicts, Palmdale Airport will serve some
12.8 million passengers by 2030, we wouldn't be surprised if some of its
flights are aboard winged pigs."
"After all, airborne swine have a better chance of becoming
a reality in this lifetime than any SCAG report."
"Clearly the only practical, long-term solution to Southern
California's aviation needs is regionalization. Los Angeles International
Airport is maxed out. Palmdale, as well as Ontario and Orange County,
will need to pick up a greater share of the region's air travelers in the
years ahead." More
. . .
El Toro Info Site report, December 17, 2003 -
updated
AWG lawsuit in court this morning; No decision.
The Airport Working Group's lawsuit
challenging Irvine's environmental impact report for the
Great Park went to court today but no decision was reached.
The judge asked both sides to submit additional briefs on
the various issues and to return for a new hearing on February 4.
That puts off any judicial decision until after the expected recording
of the LAFCO annexation on January 14.
The AWG goal is to force the EIR to be redone which could take a year,
delay annexation which depends on the report, and thereby derail the
Navy sale. The likelihood of this worst case scenario taking place became
less likely today.
El Toro Info Site report, December 17, 2003
Where will air passenger traffic originate?
Last Thursday, the SCAG Aviation Technical Advisor Committee
received a presentation from SCAG's staff on 2030 Airport Passenger
Demand. Planners and consultants estimated where passengers will
originate or head for, at each of the airports expected to be in operation,
given SCAG's modeling assumptions.
SCAG has provided a graphic
representation of the region's total estimated origin and destination
demand. The following passenger hot spots are expected to
generate the most trips in 2030:
- The areas near LAX (especially south towards El Segundo
and Manhattan Beach), near John Wayne Airport (especially Newport Beach),
and around Ontario. That is where business and hotels will cluster.
- The area near Anaheim with its tourist destinations.
- The Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Calabassas area and
nearby affluent communities on the beach side of the Ventura Freeway.
OC Register, December 16, 2003
"Anaheim-Vegas train gets feasibility funds"
"Project is being touted, in part, as a way to link O.C.
to Ontario airport."
"A proposed Anaheim-to- Las-Vegas high-speed train was among
four projects nationwide receiving congressional approval for $1 million
grants to pay for feasibility studies, Rep. Gary Miller announced
Monday."
"'Building this project will significantly reduce traffic
along Interstate 15, allow people who live in the Inland Empire to
work in Orange County without having to fight freeway traffic, and
move Orange County's air passengers away from John Wayne and (Los Angeles
International Airport) and into Ontario airport,' Miller said."
"Building a high-speed train to Ontario's airport would
eliminate the need for a new airport in south Orange County, said
Miller, R-Diamond Bar, the only California Republican on the House
Transportation Committee."
"The Anaheim-to-Las-Vegas line is expected to cost about
$6 billion, with service connecting Orange County to Ontario International
Airport beginning in 2010."
OC Register Commentary, December, 14, 2003
"Airport cowboys should ride off into sunset"
Tom Wilson, 5th District Supervisor and Chairman of the
Board presents his rebutal to a previous
op-ed piece by Supervisor Chuck Smith.
"I was amused to read Orange County Supervisor Chuck Smith's
Nov. 28 column. I guess it's hard to be the lone ranger on
a dead issue. Just like the other few remaining die-hard El Toro airport
supporters, he has to resort to the same old pro- airport script -
misstate, misrepresent and misinform."
"Supervisor Smith, former county official Gary Simon and
a handful of never- say-die airport boosters keep repeating their
mantra - however untrue it is. The city of Irvine is doing exactly
what the voters mandated in Measures F and W. The voters said they
did not want an airport. Irvine is not building an airport."
"When considering the criticism of Irvine, we need to consider
the sources: two people who continue to ignore the will of the people
- one in the last few months of his final term of office and one
who was terminated from his county job."
Click
for the entire piece.
El Toro Info Site report, December 11, 2003 -
updated
Annexation delayed by Newport group
Irvine's annexation of El Toro can not be finalized
before January because of last minute objections filed today by the
Airport Working Group.
The Local Agency Formation Commission, LAFCO, approved
Irvine's annexation of the El Toro property on November 12. Annexation
opponents had 30-days from that date, to December 12, in which to
file a Request for Reconsideration.
As was
widely expected, AWG waited to file until it was too late
to act at this week's December 10 meeting. That automatically pushed
any commission action off for a month.
The
Register reports that "The group's chances with LAFCO
appear to be poor."
"'At first glance, the request doesn't appear to present
any new or different facts that could not have been previously
presented, but we have only begun our analysis,' said Kim Koeppen,
a LAFCO policy analyst."
This AWG action will delay the annexation, probably
until just after the January 14th LAFCO meeting.. It may not slow
the start of the sale because the Navy reportedly is having internal
difficulties in launching that process any sooner.
AWG's hopes of blocking the annexation hang on the outcome of their lawsuit
over Irvine's EIR which is scheduled to be heard in Superior Court
on December 17.
El Toro Info Site report, December 10, 2003
CSUF survey shows opposition to LAX takeover
A Great Park Planning Update email from the City of
Irvine reports that "A recent survey conducted by the California
State University at Fullerton Center for Public Policy showed strong
support for the Great Park but determined that more public information
was needed."
The Irvine sponsored report also shows overwhelming
opposition to "a proposal by LAX to build an international airport
at El Toro."
This website obtained and published key sections of the report.
Of interest is the fact that opposition to an airport at El Toro
was 60.3 to 39.7. The last time that CSUF surveyed on this
exact question in November
2001, opposition was at 60.1 percent, statistically the same as now.
When the proposal for an El Toro airport run by Los
Angeles is introduced, opposition increases to 74.3 percent.
Some who would support an Orange County-run airport apparently balk
at the Los Angeles takeover bid.
LA Times Editorial, December 10, 2003
"A First Step for LAX"
"Mayor James K. Hahn announced Monday that the Tom
Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport
would undergo a $225-million remodel beginning next summer. Although
not quite a breakthrough in the stalemate over a new airport master
plan, it's a welcome first step."
"The rehab is separate from Hahn's proposed $9-billion
airportwide modernization."
"Hahn's modernization plan calls for such improvements,
but it also spends billions on what experts say are questionable
security improvements and puts an impractical promise to cap passenger
growth above regional economic needs." More.
San Diego Union-Tribune, December 9, 2003
"Congressional spending bill scolds S.D.
airport authority"
"Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham used a spending bill
to deliver a public scolding to San Diego's airport authority for
the way it is choosing sites for a new airport."
"Cunningham, R-Del Mar, inserted language in a $373
billion spending bill that criticizes the San Diego County Regional
Airport Authority for selecting active military bases as potential
sites to replace the overcrowded San Diego . . . Lindbergh Field.
The package to fund various government agencies was passed by the House
Monday."
The SDCRAA spending also received criticism from
some of its own members. A companion story in the Union-Tribune
reports that the authority "yesterday voted to award a $4.74 million
contract to a consulting firm to do in-depth reviews of the sites."
"The consultant could earn as much as $13.5 million
by the time the project is finished in 2006. That amount is in
addition to the $1.9 million the San Diego County Regional Airport
Authority has spent narrowing
the sites to seven."
Click
for both stories.
LA Daily News, December 8, 2003
"Faster LAX check-in fails to get off
ground"
"Security concerns have scuttled plans for a baggage
check-in service at the expanded Van Nuys FlyAway terminal, dashing
the hopes of LAX-bound travelers for the time-saving feature."
"When the $34 million Flyaway expansion was proposed
in 2000, officials wanted to include measures for luggage check-in
at the Van Nuys terminal so passengers could avoid lengthy lines
when they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport. But concerns
raised by the federal Transportation Security Administration, which
oversees passenger and luggage screening, have derailed plans for
a remote check-in facility, at least for now."
"The FlyAway opened in 1975 and runs an average
of 102 buses a day between Van Nuys and LAX. Some 750,000 passengers
a year travel from Van Nuys to LAX, paying $6 for a round-trip ticket
and $4 a day to park." For
more.
Website Editor: Orange County residents have
hoped for similar facilities to connect their county to LAX
and ONT. To date, Los Angeles
officials have taken a very parochial view against providing such
service.
OC Register, Commentary, December 7, 2003
"Smith grossly distorts outlook for
Great Park"
Orange County Supervisor Chuck Smith recently
branded the Great Park a "bait and switch." Today, Irvine Mayor
Larry Agran gets his turn to rebut and set out the facts.
"Far from being a scam on voters, the Orange
County Great Park is on course to living up to its grand promise."
"County Supervisor Chuck Smith spent 10 years
in a misguided effort to build a huge international airport at
El Toro. His vision was ultimately rejected by Orange County voters
in favor of Measure W, the Orange County Great Park. Rather than
embrace the people's will, Smith continues to fight for his failed
airport plan. His
Nov. 28 column ("The Great Park 'bait and switch'")
is filled with misinformation."
"Supervisor Smith wants to continue to play politics;
we want to build a Great Park."
Click
to read the entire article.
LA Times, December 7, 2003
"Airbus Super-Sizes"
"With two full-length decks connected by a staircase,
and a wingspan the length of a football field, the A380 will
be able to hold as many as 800 passengers. It will be so big it
could virtually swallow Boeing Co.'s 747, which typically comes
with 450 seats."
"Airbus has plunged ahead with production of
the A380 and is off to a fast start with 129 orders from carriers
including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Air France, Lufthansa and
Korean Air Lines, in addition to Virgin Atlantic, all of which aim
to fly the jet out of Los Angeles International Airport. The first
takeoff is expected in 2006."
"Boeing and Airbus have completely different
views of the commercial aircraft market. Boeing believes that
there will be increasing demand for direct flights to faraway destinations
from small, regional airports, such as John Wayne Airport in Orange
County."
"Since large airplanes such as the 747 can't
land at smaller airports, Boeing started work on the 7E7, a mid-size
jet with about 250 seats that can fly long distances and land
on short runways."
"A lot of other airline executives, disagree.
For long-haul, international travel, they insist, the A380
will be ideal, especially considering that many international
airports are running out of space and gates are in short supply."
"Because of the plane's record size and weight,
airports must widen taxiways, reinforce bridges and renovate
terminals. Airbus said most major airports had begun making the
improvements. Los Angeles International Airport is an exception
— and that has caused considerable hand-wringing, because LAX is
expected to have the most A380 flights of any airport in the first
years."
LA Times, December 5, 2003 - updated December 6
"Great Park Board to Meet for First
Time"
"The Orange County Great Park Corp., a nonprofit
organization charged with redeveloping the closed El Toro Marine
base, will hold its first board meeting today, opening a new chapter
in a decade-long saga that has divided the region."
"'This is no longer a political story,' Irvine
Mayor Larry Agran said. 'This is now a development story.'"
"The Great Park Corp. will oversee the collection
of the fees and master develop the entire project. It will
hire construction companies to build the public portions and
collect maintenance fees estimated at $9.3 million annually when
the project is complete."
"Joining [Irvine city] council members on
the board as initial appointees are Santa Ana Mayor Miguel
A. Pulido, Newport Beach businessman and philanthropist James
Ray, former Irvine Co. executive Richard Sim and Michael Pinto,
founder of the Laguna Canyon Foundation, a preservation group."
"Stan Oftelie, president of the Orange County
Business Council [said] "We still think it should have been
an airport, but we were trumped by local environmental and quality-of-life
concerns. Let's move on."
Click for the entire article.
Click
here for a December 6th post-meeting report "Great Park Board Begins Task of Reshaping
El Toro."
"We are going to be able to
do some amazing things for everyone in Orange County," said
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido, a board member. "I'm here to
make sure that the Great Park is a county amenity beyond just a
large city park."
El Toro Info Site Report, December 5, 2003
Lawsuit hearing delayed
The hearing on a lawsuit brought by the Airport
Working Group against the City of Irvine's Great Park Environmental
Impact Report is delayed from December 11 to December 17th.
Click here for
our Litigation page and the latest information on the
case.
El Toro Info Site report, December 5, 2003
Who Uses Ontario Airport - Revisited
A just
received May 2003 report prepared for Ontario Airport
marketing consultants show that more than half of the Southern
Californians using the airport live in Riverside and San Bernardino
Counties.
Orange County residents amount to approximately
13 percent of the local users, a figure that has not increased
since earlier studies were conducted in 1987 and 1993.
Almost all of the Orange County use comes
from North County cities, principally Fullerton, Anaheim, and
Yorba Linda. The results confirm this website's findings that El
Toro proponents consistently overstate Orange County air passenger
demand - and particularly South County demand.
An interesting revaltion is that more than
half of the travelers said, "no amount of savings would cause
them to chose another airport." This has implications for
SCAG's concept of relocating Los Angeles passengers to remote airports
in a decentralized regional airport system.
The survey did not use thousands of interviews
collected in 2001 in a study
of LAX and ONT passengers that has yet to be made public.
El Toro Info Site Report, December 3, 2003
Dorothy Ann Kogerman 1942-2003
Dorothy "D. Ann" Kogerman, beloved wife
of Colonel Bill Kogerman and dear friend of everyone in the
anti-El Toro movement passed away today after a long struggle with
cancer. She will be remembered as a cheerful, friendly, hardworking
teammate to all who worked in the movement to block the airport.
The Kogermans were looking forward
to celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary with their
many friends and family this coming weekend.
D. Ann is survived by her husband Bill,
son Bill Kogerman, daughters Katrina Lynn Maas and Kristen
Ann Privat, granddaughters Katie and Madison, grandson Carter,
and three soon-to-be born grandchildren.
A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday
at 1:00 pm at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church at 29102 Crown Valley
Parkway in Laguna Niguel. The internment will be at the El
Toro Memorial Cemetery 25751 Trabuco Road in Lake Forest immediately
following the service. A reception at the Kogerman home
25231 Mawson Drive, from 3:00-8:00 pm honoring D. Ann’s life will
commence following the burial.
A vigil at the mortuary will be held on
Friday night at 7:30 pm at O’Connor Laguna Hills Mortuary at
25301 Alicia Parkway. Phone 949-581-4300.
El Toro Info Site Report, December 3, 2003
"El Toro concerns virtually
evaporated"
A just released poll finds "O.C.
remains upbeat." The Public Policy Institute of California,
took the 22nd annual snapshot of Orange County opinions with
the University of California, Irvine."
Missing from the newspaper accounts of
the poll was any mention of El Toro - for good reason. The full report
states that "concern about El Toro has virtually evaporated."
The study found that El Toro Airport was mentioned as "the most
important issue facing Orange County" by 14 % of respondents in
2001. In 2002 it had dropped to 4 %. In the latest study it was at
1 %. El Toro was in 13th place amongst areas of concern listed by
those interviewed.
At the top of the list were population
growth, development, and sprawl; factors that favor creation
of the Great Park.
Daily Breeze, December 3, 2003
"Virgin may put new airline
base at LAX"
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office
confirmed Tuesday that the
governor has spoken with the chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways
about basing a new low-cost airline at Los Angeles International Airport."
"The Times of London reported Tuesday
that Branson is negotiating a deal with Schwarzenegger to
base Virgin USA in Los Angeles, which has not been headquarters
to a major scheduled air carrier since the 1980s."
"The Los Angeles Economic Development
Corp. has been working with city officials to put together
an incentive package to attract Virgin to Los Angeles, said Jack
Kyser, the LAEDC’s chief economist."
Website Editor: The LAEDC advocates
growth at LAX stating, "The region must not cap its future
with a 'No Growth' plan for LAX." However, the influential group
also
supports Mayor Hahn's bid to take over El Toro for an airport.
Daily Pilot, December 2, 2003 - updated
"Laguna voices noise complaints
about JWA"
"Newport Beach and Costa Mesa have
not registered similar concerns. The problem may be new
flight paths."
"A spate of complaints from Laguna
Beach residents about John Wayne Airport noise appears to
be a problem specific to South County cities and likely does
not reflect increased noise over most of Newport Beach and Costa
Mesa."
"A change in airspace rules that came
into effect after last spring's Measure W vote could be
what's rattling Laguna Beach."
"After Orange County voters approved
a plan to turn the closed El Toro Marine Air Base into a park
and developed land, the FAA closed the airspace over El Toro.
To make up the difference, the administration widened the airspace
over John Wayne, stretching it in the direction of Laguna Beach
and creating an opportunity for pilots to make turns over Laguna.
Since the new airspace rules came into effect in July 2002, many
[pilots] may be turning over or near Laguna Beach, Airport Working Group
President Tom Naughton explained."
Click
for the entire story.
Website Editor: It's news to me that
the FAA "closed the airspace" over El Toro. In fact, it
was opened up once military aircraft stopped flying. It sounds
like AWG is spinning this as an anti-Measure W story.
To track where JWA planes
are flying, and their altitudes, click here. As
we worked on this news piece the tracker showed a 757 crossing
the coast in North Laguna at 8:03 AM at 7800' and a 737
crossing central Laguna Beach at 8:07 AM at 7100'. That
is much higher than would have been the case for El Toro commercial
arrivals.
El Toro Info Site report, December 2, 2003
Great Park Corporation
Inaugural Meeting Set For December 5, 2003
The newly formed Orange County Great
Park Corporation will hold its inaugural meeting on December
5, 2003 at 8:30 a.m. in the Council Chambers at the Irvine Civic
Center (1 Civic Center Plaza).
The Orange County Great Park Corporation
Board will be responsible for creating policy for the development,
operation and maintenance of the park and its infrastructure.
Initial Board activity will include overseeing the design,
construction and development of the park amenities. In the long
term, the Board will focus on fundraising and park programming,
operations and maintenance.
The Great Park Corporation is a public
entity separate from the non-profit Great Park Foundation.
For more information on this working
meeting, call (949) 724-6424.
LA Times, Editorial, December 1, 2003
A Half-Baked LAX Plan
"Mayor James K. Hahn's $9-billion
plan for remaking Los Angeles International Airport is as
urgently in need of an overhaul as the airport itself. The time
to fix the proposal is now, before it goes to the City Council for
approval early next year."
"Hahn's plan keeps an unwise campaign
promise to cap the number of passengers at LAX even though,
under federal law,
cities can't limit flights or passengers unless a cap was
in place before the government deregulated the airline industry.
Hahn aims to achieve his cap by cutting the number of gates for
planes to load and unload passengers, essentially crowding them
out and forcing them to go elsewhere. That just raises another question:
Where?"
"Voters in Orange County last year
killed plans to make the closed El Toro Marine base into
a commercial airport. Other outlying airports currently serve
no commercial customers, and all lack the high-speed rail connections
that planners say are critical to making a regional system work."
Click
for the entire editorial.
Click here for previous news stories
The Kogermans were looking forward
to celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary with their
many friends and family this coming weekend.