Click here for previous news stories

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El Toro Info Site report
2005 - THE EL TORO YEAR IN REVIEW

The long fight over El Toro consumed eleven years and over $150 million since voters narrowly approved Measure A in 1994. This year, we finally allow ourselves to believe that it is over. 

Here are a few of the stories that made the El Toro Info Site headlines in 2005. Click here for last year's review and predictions.

JANUARY - The Los Angeles City Council votes to pursue all means including litigation to block a sale of the base. L.A. wants to lease El Toro from the federal government and use it to supplement LAX.

    The Irvine city council startles airport opponents by hiring chief airport advocate Bruce Nestande to provide "strategic advice and assistance".

    Bidding begins in the GSA auction of El Toro.

FEBRUARY - Bidding concludes with Lennar winning all parcels for $649.5 million.

MARCH - GSA accepts Lennar's bid and escrow opens on the El Toro sale.

APRIL - Ten years after quitting the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority, the Board of Supervisors votes to rejoin ETRPA.

MAY - L.A. prepares for but does not file a lawsuit to block the El Toro transfer to private ownership.  The threat subsides when Antonio Villaraigosa unseats Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, who sought a takeover of El Toro.

    Newport Beach efforts to gain control over John Wayne Airport expansion, cloaked in a package of "sphere issues", appear to fade due to lack of interest from the county.

    Former Irvine Company President Dick Sim resigns from the Great Park Corp board citing disagreements over conduct of the park project. At year end, the board seat remains vacant.

JUNE - Assemblyman Mike Gordon of El Segundo, a leading proponent of a regional airport authority and author of Assembly bill 1197 to create such an authority, dies at the age of 47. His bill stalls in the legislature.

JULY - Escrow closes and the former base is transferred to Lennar. Under a development agreement, Lennar gives Irvine 1,316 acres plus $200 million for park infrastructure.

AUGUST - John Wayne Airport expansion makes the headlines.

SEPTEMBER - Great Park design competition submittals are presented for public comment.

NOVEMBER - Great Park Board members visit parks in Spain, France and the U.S. to evaluate design finalists.

DECEMBER - The Great Park Board fails to reach agreement with Lennar on runway demolition procedures and extends the negotiations to next year.

    The Board also puts off a choice of park master designer until at least January, hoping to use all three finalists.

    John Wayne Airport serves a record number of passengers in 2005 but the number of commercial air carrier flights decline from the previous year's level.

    Five million fewer passengers use LAX this year than in 2000. They choose other regional airports producing a  major post-911 shift in airport utilization.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2006:

The long-anticipated El Toro runway demolition work will commence in mid-year. Irvine will use the occasion to hold a big public celebration and showcase the Great Park.

The park plans will move forward, though behind the original schedule and costing more than expected. There will be little physical evidence of the park in 2006 though an effort will be made to break ground for the sports park section before the November 2006 Irvine city elections.

Efforts to divert much of the region's future air passenger growth from LAX to other airports will generate controversy and sustain lingering wishes for a commercial airport at El Toro. However, the chances for revival of airport plans are too slim. 

Construction will begin on John Wayne airport's expanded terminal and additional gates.  Passengers avoiding LAX will seek more flights at JWA. However, until the expansion is complete, airport management will restrict the number of seats flown to keep passenger utilization at less than the level allowed by the Settlement Agreement.

ETRPA will close up shop in early 2006 and declare victory. The El Toro Info website will wind down as a daily news source but will continue to report on regional airport issues.

Happy New Year.

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OC Register, December 31, 2005
"Horse stables at El Toro Equestrian Center will soon be gone"
"Orange County Modelers will lose El Toro airspace."
 
"Lennar Corp., the new owner of the old base, could extend the [El Toro stables'] lease to a month-to-month contract with a minimum of four months' notice before shutting it down. Because of the impending closure, the number of horses there has dwindled to 60 from 330 in the past six months."

"The stables opened when the base was commissioned in 1942, and the horse owners have known since the Marine base was closed in 1999 that they would have to leave." Click for 2004 photo.

"The Orange County Modelers Association will fly its radio-controlled model aircraft for the last time Saturday [today] at the former El Toro Marine base."

"After flying at El Toro for eight years, the group's lease ran out." 2005 Photo

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Globe St.com, December 30, 2005
"$500M Finances Heritage Fields Project"

"Lennar Homes of California Inc. and LNR Property Corp. have secured $500 million in financing toward the development of Heritage Fields. The developers secured the construction loan from an affiliate of New York-based Lehman Bros."

"The construction financing, at a variable rate that floats over Libor [London Interbank Offered Rates], is designed to provide funding for a term that will allow sales to third-party purchasers after the property entitlements, subdivision and public improvements are completed."

"The former [El Toro] military property is slated to be the site for 3,400 homes, 2.6 million sf of R&D space, two retail commercial centers, a college campus, the city's first cemetery, a golf course and 1,375 acres of public land to be called the Great Park."

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El Toro Info Site report, December 28, 2006

Master Park Designer Supplemental Questionnaire

 

Unable to make a decision between the three design competition finalists, the Great Park Board sent an email to all three asking them to answer a questionnaire regarding their willingness to share the job.

 

Click here for the questionnaire. How might you answer with tens of millions of dollars of potential work on the table?

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LA Times, December 27, 2005
"Disney Parks Increase Market Share"

"All six U.S. Disney theme parks logged gains in attendance, with Disneyland growing the most of any of the major North American attractions, according to estimates released Monday by trade journal Amusement Business and consulting firm Economics Research Associates."

"About 14.5 million visitors passed through Disneyland's gate, an 8.5% jump from 2004, the trade journal said."

"Disney's California Adventure, Disneyland's younger sibling in Anaheim, was the nation's seventh-busiest park, logging 5.8 million visitors, a 3.6% rise."

Website Editor:  Two passenger studies show that the Magic Kingdom is the largest source of Orange County air travel and is responsible for about 40 percent of those going to LAX from Orange County.

Efforts to divert visitors to Ontario airport will require improved ground connections. There is no bus service from Disneyland to Ontario Airport. Shuttle fares to ONT are substantially higher than to LAX or John Wayne airport.

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El Toro Info Site report, December 26, 2005
John Wayne Airport crash zone meets standards

The recent accident at Chicago's Midway Airport where a landing plane overran the end of the runway and hit a car in the street, raised questions about the adequacy of the crash zone at the end of John Wayne Airport's main runway.

The FAA reportedly considers 1,000 feet to be the minimum margin of safety beyond the end of a runway.
 
At John Wayne, the pavement continues 1,000 feet beyond the commercial runway to the south though it is not paved as thick as the runway.  It is there in case of an emergency, such as a plane overshooting on a landing, or aborting a takeoff.
 
Moreover, it is 1,512 feet from the end of the JWA runway to Bristol Street, providing an extra margin of safety.

Click for more information about the airport and the possibilities for lengthening the main runway. 

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El Toro Info Site report, December 24, 2005
American Airlines To Pull Out Of Long Beach

Financial pressures on American Airlines are forcing the company to make changes nationwide — including ending its flights from Long Beach to Dallas/Fort Worth.

JetBlue Airways officials said their airline has a standing request to fill those flight slots. Alaska Airlines also has requested the slots.

Loss of the five daily flights to Dallas will force Texas-bound travelers to look elsewhere for reservations, either at LAX or Orange County. Many had previously abandoned LAX for the Long Beach airport. Those seeking to fly from John Wayne Airport will find that the supply of seats is limited.

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John Wayne Airport media release, December 23, 2005
John Wayne Airport November results

Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in November 2005 as compared to November 2004.  In November 2005, the Airport served 781,302 passengers, an increase of 0.3% when compared to the 779,056 passenger level of November 2004. 

Commercial Carrier flight operations decreased 2.6%, while Commuter Carrier (air taxi) operations increased 10.1% when compared to the same levels recorded in November 2004. 

General aviation activity, which accounted for 70% of the total aircraft operations during November 2005, increased 7.4 % when compared to November 2004.

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El Toro Info Site report, December 22, 2005
What things cost

Just in time for last minute holiday shopping, we offer a catalog of airport-related infrastructure projects at some of the best prices we've been able to find.

Choose from modest stocking stuffers like a face lift for LAX Terminal 3 (only $2 million) to pricey rail connections to outlying airports that will warm the hearts of any construction union leader ($5-10 billion).

The list includes airport terminal expansions for the budget minded (Long Beach - previous model at an unbelievable $7 million), the value shopper (Palm Springs - eight gates for $32 million - buy seven and get one free) and for that special person who lives in the OC and deserves the very best (John Wayne Airport terminal enhancement - $437 million).

With El Segundo leading the fight against expansion of LAX, a big spender might consider a bid for the entire city and never have to shop again. (One only, used - and not currently listed for sale - 2003 assessed valuation was $7.6 billion).

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LA Times, December 21, 2005
“Sole Carrier at Palmdale to Quit”

”The city’s plans to kick-start a regional airport system to ease congestion at Los Angeles International Airport faltered this week when the only carrier at Palmdale Regional Airport decided to end the service in March.”

”Airport officials had hoped that Scenic Airlines would succeed at Palmdale and prove to other airlines that the growing Antelope Valley could support air service.”

”The airport is considered a crucial part of a push by Los Angeles to spread flights among other Southern California airports as the number of air passengers in the region is expected to double by 2030.”

”Tiny Palmdale Regional Airport is located about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The facility, which has a 9,000-square-foot terminal and 17,750 acres of undeveloped land, is built to handle 300,000 passengers a year, but has had spotty service since it opened in 1971.”

”The Southern California Assn. of Governments projects that the facility could be developed to handle up to 12.8 million passengers annually by 2030.”

”But airport officials have disputed this, saying they expect it to serve, at most, 2 million travelers annually in the coming decades.”

More . . . 

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OC Register, December 20, 2005 - updated December 21
“County gives nod to JWA improvement”

”A plan to fund a $512 million expansion and refurbishment of John Wayne Airport that includes a $4.50 fee for departing passengers was approved today by the Board of Supervisors.”

”If the Federal Aviation Administration approves the fee as expected, a 68 percent expansion of the terminal would be in the clear.”

”The supervisors rejected charging a $10-per-rental-car contract at the airport to help raise construction funds, as had been suggested by their staff. Instead, more bonds would be used for funds.”

”The passenger fee and the financially successful airport would each contribute $181 million directly to construction costs. Revenue bonds and federal funding would also help cover the projected $512 million bill.”

Click for more.

Click for December 21 stories from the Times and more from the Register.

"'The airport handles about 9.7 million passengers annually, although its two terminals are designed to serve only 8.4 million. The improvement project', Courtney Wiercioch said, 'would bring the airport's capacity to 10.8 million. We are bursting at the seams today.' she said."

Website Editor: The new project would have been a good use for the $46 million that was siphoned from JWA's reserves for the El Toro Airport effort. 

While the JWA passenger fee all will go to the airport, a similar passenger fee at LAX is used to fund a variety of  purposes per the Wall Street Journal. 

"How much has actually been spent on facilities at LAX? ...Less than 5%. The rest funded soundproofing efforts in the neighborhoods around the airport -- plus a new terminal and other improvements 50 miles inland at the Ontario, Calif., airport."

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El Toro Info Site Report, December 19, 2005 - updated December 20
Ed Dornan

Ed Dornan, age 66, died suddenly and unexpectedly Monday.

Dornan was an active and frequently controversial figure in Irvine and consequently in anti-airport politics.

While serving on the Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities campaign committee for Measure F, Dornan started the Safe and Healthy Communities Fund which competed in raising money for the fight against El Toro airport. He mailed numerous anti-airport newsletters during the Measure F and W campaigns.

As an outgrowth of that activity, he co-founded the Foundation for the Great Park, now known as the Great Park Conservancy. He was a director of the Conservancy at the time of his death.

Dornan was a principal fundraiser and advisor for former Mayor and now Councilman Larry Agran and Agran's running mates during Irvine elections. He owned and operated the HomeTown Voters Guide, a political slate mailer business.

He is survived by his wife Doree and three sons.

The Register reports that Dornan died, apparently of heart failure, as he watched televison at home.

The Orange County Business Journal online edition provides additional information provided by the city of Irvine. 

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El Toro Info Site report, December 19, 2005 - updated December 20
Professionals doubt feasibility of collaborative park design

The Great Park Corp board - unable to choose one park designer - held the project over for more than a month to discuss a possible collaboration between the top three design contenders.

Last week, former Irvine Company President Dick Sim told us that such collaboration would be a "disaster".  Today, designer Jack Camp seconded Sim's position and called the idea "absurd".

Camp put together a team of 13 design and development professionals who voluntarily submitted comments and questions for the GPC Board to use in evaluating the seven design schemes for the park.

To Camp, the request to collaborate shows the GPC boards "inability to understand" the process. "Nobody on the board knows what they are doing" he said. He laments that the project is being led by "politicians" rather than professionals - a not unexpected view from someone who's a design professional.

While public officials have directed public park projects, the Great Park is to be funded entirely by private money, much of it from Lennar. Camp calls it a "private" project and private financing is limited.
 
Despite being close to the process until now, Camp is not aware of any serious consideration of the cost of the design. He expects fee negotiations to follow selection of a designer.
Then, in a Phase 1 study, the designer researches the environmental and other factors that create opportunities and constraints on the site.
 
The firm might be asked to prepare multiple concepts.
 
At an early stage, the designer needs to know what is going into the park. That involves professional study - not just opinion polls of what today's public likes - but demographic projections of who will use the park and what will attract that audience in the future.

Camp could only guess at Lennar's "frustration" at not being able to start work.

Click for the latest December 20 article from the Register, "Creating three jobs out of one".  Diane Ghirardo, a USC professor, visited all three design-firm finalists and their projects for the GPC and reported her reactons.

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OC Register, December 17, 2005
"Great Park's design will be a balancing act"
"A clash of egos and cultures could undermine board's vision of collaboration."
 
"After agonizing for four hours over the relative merits of the three design finalists [the Great Park Board opted] to direct chief executive Wall Kreutzen to explore how EMBT of Barcelona, Ken Smith of New York and Royston Hanamoto of Mill Valley might work together on creating the park."
 
"One would be the lead; the other two would operate in a still-to-be-determined, collaborative role."
 
"Can the three work together? Royston, Smith and EMBT all answered with a cautious yes."
 
"They're all so beautiful, and we want to keep a relationship with all of them," said Steven Choi, an Irvine councilman and board member of the Great Park Corp. But alas, he said, "we can't marry all three."
 
Website Editor: That is what the GPC is considering, with its collaborative arrangement, putting one bride in the bedroom, one in the kitchen and one in the office.

A development pro, former Irvine Company President and Great Park Board member Dick Sim had this advice:
 

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OC Register, December 16, 2005
"Great Park board seeks coalition"

"The Great Park Corp. said Thursday that it wants all three finalists to work together on the park design, and it directed park chief executive Wally Kreutzen to explore how that could be done."

"Kreutzen will negotiate with each of the three firms in the next five weeks to determine how they might structure a working partnership. The board will meet again Jan. 23 and expects to make a decision then."

"After two trips, two design juries, a countywide conference and several community forums, board members agonized in a four-hour meeting over the options before them: the big canyon Ken Smith design, the big lake EMBT design and the big gardens Royston Hanamoto plan. In struggling to decide on a plan, board members were torn by the bold vs. safe, conflicted by design jury reports and what they saw, and overwhelmed by the weight of their decision."

Website Editor: The GPC has already spent over $1 million in the process which, in addition to the expenses mentioned, included payments to the competitors; Internet, mailback, and phone surveys; and staff time.

"Disappointed a decision wasn't reached . . . Lennar says its carrying costs on the project are $300,000 a day - interest on the money it borrowed to purchase the old base and money lost if invested elsewhere."

The LA Times reports "One option is to designate one firm as master designer and another as project manager, Kreutzen said, with contracts that could run as high as $20 million each. The third firm could be invited to design a smaller part."

"Architect Smith, who observed the deliberations from the audience, said each firm had already chosen its partners to create its designs. Mandating new members or concepts from the other teams could be awkward, he said, and would change the vision of the park."

Click for more from the Register and Times.

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Irvine World News, December 15, 2005
"Who will it be?"
"The city's search for the Great Park designer could end today."

"Associates from the Ken Smith and EMBT firms watched the Monday Great Park meeting with anticipation."

"It was the first discussion of choosing a master designer for the Great Park, and the first time for the directors to offer their observations from the trips to Barcelona, Paris, New York and the San Francisco area. After the trips, the group said it left with more questions than in September, when five of six directors ranked Ken Smith's firm No. 1"

"The board gave its staff and the design firms - EMBT of Barcelona, Ken Smith of New York and RHAA of Mill Valley - until Thursday to answer more questions before a master designer is chosen."

"The issue was continued to a 10 a.m. meeting today in City Council chambers when the board directors might choose a designer or postpone the decision until January."

Website Editor: The selection of a director to replace Dick Sim is similarly delayed. 23 candidates had applied for the position by the August 31 cutoff date.

Click here to read the directors' comments on the designs and Lennar's advice to choose a designer rather than a design. Then scroll down to other related IWN articles and an editorial encouraging the GPC board to not "rush" the selection process.

Website Editor: In other business, the City and the GPC put off reaching an agreement with Lennar on the demolition of the runways which is delayed until the Spring. The City voted to move forward with residential towers that the Airport Land Use Commission labeled "inconsistent" with John Wayne Airport flight paths, and a request by the Great Park Foundation to hold a fundraiser at the former base on April 7 was approved.

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San Diego Regional Airport Authority Media Release, December 14, 2005 - 5:45 PM
"Passenger numbers at San Diego International Airport surpass forecasts, exceed previous records"

"San Diego International Airport (SDIA) served 14,601,122 passengers from January through October 2005, compared to 13,742,163 during the same period last year - a 6.3% increase of 858,959 passengers. [The airport] far exceeded forecasted growth rates in 2004, with a 7.3% increase in passenger volumes over 2003."

"Despite SDIA's capacity constraints, passengers routinely rate the Airport among the world's best airports for customer service."

Website Editor: This is a dramatically different picture than the one presented by Los Angeles World Airports where a spokesperson recently passed the blame for the LA airport's poor showing  saying, "Domestic flights to LAX have been reduced due to the increase in fuel prices."

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OC Register, December 14, 2005
“JWA lists fee plan for expansion”

”A $512 million expansion and refurbishment of John Wayne Airport would be paid for by a $4.50 charge to departing passengers, a $10 fee per car-rental contract at the facility and federal and airfield funds, according to a county report made public Tuesday.”

”The airport itself, which nets $15 million to $20 million annually, would contribute the same amount that would be raised by the passenger fee - $181 million.”

”The airport’s expansion - meant to accommodate limited growth in the future - would cost an estimated $437 million.”

“Construction on the terminal could begin next year and be completed in about five years.”

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LA Times, December 14, 2005
“FAA Backs Agreement to Shelve LAX Plan”

”The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday signed off on an agreement in which the city would shelve its $11-billion modernization plan for Los Angeles International Airport in exchange for nearby communities’ dropping their legal challenges.”

”The FAA approved a plan that could reduce the number of gates, but said it could agree to doing so only through 2015 [5 years sooner than the parties to the agreement had set]. The city negotiated the proposed settlement with four airport-area cities, Los Angeles County and community groups. It allows for needed runway construction to move forward next year.”

Click for more details from the LA Daily News and Daily Breeze.

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OC Register, December 13, 2005
"Board queries design teams"

"The Great Park Board on Monday gave staff and the final design firms - EMBT of Barcelona, Ken Smith of New York and RHAA of Mill Valley - until Thursday to answer more questions before choosing a master designer."

"After recently visiting the offices and work of the firms, the group is left with more questions than in September, when five of six directors ranked Ken Smith's firm No. 1."
 
"The board continued the issue to a 10 a.m. Thursday meeting in City Council chambers when members might choose a designer or postpone the decision until January."

"The board also voted to hire three more staff members for the Great Park: a receptionist, administrative secretary and senior office specialist."

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Daily Breeze, December 10, 2005 posted December 11
"Plan to spread air traffic around may hit turbulence"
 
"Los Angeles leaders have sworn themselves to an ambitious idea that would spread the region's booming air traffic to smaller, regional airports. But it won't be easy."
 
"It will cost billions of dollars to make the idea work. It will require extraordinary cooperation among governments, whole shifts in the economy, and a transit system that doesn't exist."

"The airlines themselves remain skeptical of plans based on anything other than the economic law of supply and demand."
 
"'Regionalization is a myth, an impossibility,' said Jack Keady, an aviation consultant based in Playa del Rey. 'Airlines want a sure thing. You're always assured of filling a flight when you put it at LAX.'"
 
"Those carriers that fly internationally will have another twist to consider. A good share of their international passengers arrive at LAX, switch planes, and continue on to another city. They won't want to take a shuttle to Ontario or Palmdale for the second leg of their trip if airlines begin moving their domestic flights."

"'When it gets to the point where people refuse to go to LAX, then the airlines are not going to have a whole lot of choices,' said Denny Schneider, who serves on the LAX Community Noise Roundtable."
 
"Other suburban airports that seem like good candidates for expansion -- especially those in Long Beach and Orange County -- have artificial limits on how many flights they can handle. That means they won't be able to accommodate their full share of the regional traffic."

Click for the entire article.

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El Toro Info Site report, December 10, 2005
Runway demolition delayed

The city of Irvine and Heritage Fields (Lennar) have been negotiating since shortly after the close of escrow on July 12 over the conduct of the demolition and recycling program at the former base. The runways are situated on land under the control of both the developer and the Great Park Corp.

At next Tuesday's city council meeting, the council will be asked to extend the previously set December 31 deadline for reaching an agreement until April 30, 2006. A staff report attached to the agenda item provides background on the issues.

We are informed that once a decision has been made on the recycling contract, a conditional use permit application will have to be processed through Irvine's Planning Commission.  That could take three to six months.
 
The full-blown runway recycling program may not be underway until the middle of next year.  Some runway demolition could begin earlier than the recycling operation, hopefully in the spring. 

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El Toro Info Site report, December 9, 2005 - 6:20 PM
Great Park Board to meet in special session Monday morning.

Late this Friday afternoon, we received an email notice of items for a special meeting of the GPC board scheduled for 9 AM on Monday.
 
Agenda items of greatest interest are these:

Establish a Committee of the Whole and suspend, until further notice, the previously scheduled meetings of other standing committees of the Orange County Great Park Corporation.

The Committee of the Whole arrangement does away with the GPC's Finance, Engineering & Design, Environmental Committee for Sustainability/Recycling, Property Management, and Community Government Relations Committees. These committees enabled interested members to meet in small groups and study the intricacies of developing and operating the park.
 
The Committee of the Whole structure puts every official meeting of GPC directors under the direct supervision of the GPC Board Chairman.

The second item of interest is acceptance of a staff report and inclusion of $1.0 million in the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 budget for a Great Park-Spectrum Guideway Demonstration Project. GPC online agendas do not publish the staff reports that would shed light on the project. A search of the city's website had nothing about a Guideway Demonstration Project. However, Google yielded a 1998 report on an Irvine Peoplemover Project that may fit the description.

Lastly, the agenda includes a request from the private Great Park Conservancy for GPC and city council's support for a Conservancy event at the former base on April 7, 2006.

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El Toro Info Site report, December 9, 2005
Growth of Ontario Airport 

Any mention of regional airport planning focuses on Palmdale and Ontario. Of the two, Ontario gets most attention because it is in business, and located at the western edge of the growing Inland Empire. 

Ontario International Airport served 6.9 million passengers in 2004. Its twin terminals with 26 gates can handle 10 million passengers and its two closely-spaced runways can serve 30 million. At one time, Los Angeles World Airports, which owns the 1,413-acre facility in San Bernardino County, considered a third runway for even more capacity. That plan has been shelved. 

Most users of the airport are from the Inland Empire. It attracts relatively few passengers from Orange County or downtown Los Angeles. That will change if regionalization pushes LAX passengers to the alternate airport.

So far, opposition to airport expansion from residents has been light compared to other airport communities. The attached noise contour map and tabular data shows over 3,000 people living within the airport’s 65-CNEL contour line. The noise will increase with the planned quadrupling of the air traffic. 

The San Bernardino Airport Land Use Commission is responsible for reviewing land use plans to minimize residential growth in the impacted areas. An Environmental Impact Study for the planned airport expansion is in the works.

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Irvine World News, December 8, 2005

“Park commitment won’t shrink” - Agran

 

Amongst several pro- and con- letters in the Irvine World News is one from Great Park Corp Chairman Larry Agran rebutting previous suggestions that the park might need to shrink for cost reasons.

 

“There has been no discussion by our City Council or by the board of directors of the Orange County Great Park Corp. about downsizing the park or re-zoning any of the publicly owned parkland for private development.”   

 

“We are in the final stage of selecting a master designer for the Great Park. Once the designer is selected and a specific plan is developed, a detailed study of construction and maintenance costs will be conducted. The city of Irvine and the Great Park Corp. will have to make tough and smart decisions about how to develop the Great Park. We remain committed to creating the first great metropolitan park of the 21st century without any additional burden on taxpayers.”

 

Click for a report on the GPC Board’s trip to examine parks in Northern California.

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San Bernardino County Sun, December 7, 2005

“San Bernardino Airport Runway Can Accommodate Airbus A380”

”On Friday, more than 200 civic leaders attended a ceremony commemorating the reconstruction of the airport's runway . . . [an event] far removed from the uncertain period when member agencies of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority loaned $3 million to keep the airport solvent.”

”The nearly $37 million project elevates SBIA to one of a few in California designed to accommodate the world's largest commercial aircraft, the 1.3 million-pound Airbus A380.”

”SBIA's 10,000-foot runway has no regularly scheduled cargo or passenger service. But airport officials hope to change that . . . [and are] talking with five Asian airlines about locating some of their freight operations at SBIA.”

 

Click for more.

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El Toro Info Site report, December 7, 2005
Regional airport preferences shift in post-911 period

Air passenger statistics for the first ten months of the year show a dramatic shift in travelers’ airport preferences.

The data is compiled for the six airports – LAX, Orange County, Ontario, Burbank, Long Beach and Palm Springs – in the Southern California Association of Governments, SCAG region. 

Total SCAG region air travel is inching back to its pre-911 terrorist attack level. For the 10 months ending October 2005, nearly 74.1 million passengers used the six airports just shy of a record 74.2 million in 2000. 

However, use of LAX dropped 8.5 percent with 4.8 million fewer passengers opting to use the Los Angeles airport so far this year. At the present rate, LAX is projected to finish the full year down by approximately 5.6 million passengers from its 2000 peak. Primarily, LAX has lost popularity for domestic travel. Long Beach, John Wayne, Bob Hope and Ontario, in that order, picked up almost all of LAX’s lost passengers. 

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and airport manager Lydia Kennard are starting to address some of LAX’s problems that were overlooked by the previous administration. 

While air traffic has been slow to recover in the Los Angeles region, San Diego International airport and Las Vegas McCarran airport report gains of 10 and 11 percent respectively since 2000.

  Comparison – 10 months ending October 

Airport	2000 passengers	2005 passengers	Passenger change	Percent change 2000-2005
LAX Total	56,509,681	51,697,131	-4,812,550	-8.5
LAX Domestic	41,857,905	36,935,826	-4,922,079	-11.8
LAX Intl.	14,651,776	14,761,305	109,529	+0.7
John Wayne	6,533,129	8,077,023	1,543,894	+23.6
Ontario	5,610,892	6,022,153	411,261	+7.3
Burbank	3,949,199	4,569,606	620,407	+15.7
Long Beach	547,320	2,556,913	2,009,593	+367.5
Palm Springs	1,052,018	1,146,055	94,037	+8.9
Regional Total	74,202,239	74,068,881	-133,358	-0.2

 

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Daily Breeze, December 6, 2005
"El Segundo's settlement with LAX is questioned"

"Last week's deal to settle six LAX lawsuits is drawing fire from some airport foes, who say El Segundo gave up too much and obtained too little in its yearlong talks with Los Angeles World Airports."

"Since the settlement was announced, El Segundo's elected leadership has endured criticism from its constituents and even neighboring communities."

"Hermosa Beach Councilman Sam Edgerton argued that the settlement uses the wrong formula to try to constrain growth at the airport, since it ignores air cargo and the number of jets."

"Some who participated in . . .  early talks were taken aback last week by El Segundo's willingness to drop its demand for only 144 gates at LAX -- a provision originally sought to limit the airport's growth to no more than 78.9 million annual passengers." 

Website Editor: The airport currently has 163 gates and the runways have an estimated capacity for 89 million passengers according to an airport official.

"'They were so adamant that 153 (gates) was wrong and that they had to go lower,' said former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who represented the LAX area until July. 'So to accept this ... is amazing.'"

"Neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor the Southern California Association of Governments expects LAX to reach 75 million passengers in 2010. The FAA expects such a benchmark in 2012, while SCAG's projections show LAX reaching 75 million passengers in 2014."

Website Editor: LAX served 67 million passengers in 2000 but has been in a slump since then and will finish 2005 handling between 61-62 million.

For the entire article click here.

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El Toro Info Site report, December 6, 2005
San Diego to study use of military bases despite military objections

Monday, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Board voted to study joint (military/civilian) use at four of the five military sites on its list of nine potential airport locations.

The Airport Authority will begin studying possibilities of a joint use airport to either supplement or replace San Diego International Airport (SDIA) at four military bases in San Diego County:

• Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar
• MCAS East Miramar (the largely undeveloped eastern portion of MCAS Miramar)
• Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton
• Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island (only being studied as an intertie to be used in conjunction with Lindbergh Field)
  

The board voted to not study March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County at this time. 
"We look forward to conducting an open and constructive dialogue with the military on the issue of joint use," said Joe W. Craver, Chairman of the Airport Authority Board.
 
Military officials presented a bleak picture for those hoping to see a San Diego civilian airport share a facility with one of the area's military bases.

State law requires the Airport Authority to study "use of current military installations that may become available for civilian or mix-use…to address future airport needs." The Airport Authority Board voted earlier this year to delay study of military sites until after the Base Realignment and Closure Act became law in November 2005. However, no military bases on the Airport Authority's list were slated for closure.
 
In addition to the five military sites, there are four civilian locations on the list for a potential solution to the region's long-term air transportation needs.  They are  Campo/Boulevard, Imperial County desert, Borrego Springs, and San Diego International Airport.

Click for a review of the San Diego site selection process and the issues facing county voters.

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Orange County Business Journal, December 5-11, 2005 - updated
"The Grounding of El Toro"

OCBJ Executive Editor Rick Reiff writes, "Back to El Toro, Ahead to El Tunnel".  Reiff looks for lessons that proponents of the proposed tunnel connecting Orange and Riverside Counties can learn from the El Toro experience.

Noting that "history is written by the victor", the Journal publishes Website Editor Len Kranser's digest of the long fight over El Toro.
 
Kranser writes, "In November 1994, Orange County voters passed Measure A by a narrow margin, approving conversion of the Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro to a commercial airport.  County government took command of the project and threw its full weight into creating and promoting an airport."

"Eleven years later, after a divisive struggle that cost all parties over $150 million, the airport is dead. How did airport advocates, with their early advantage in money and power, let the project unravel?"

"El Toro is a lesson in how an informed, aroused and organized public can 'beat city hall'" . . . 

Click here to read Kranser's insider viewpoint on what went right and what went wrong in the El Toro fight.

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Long Beach Press Telegram, December 2, 2005 web posted December 3, 2005
“LAX plans worry some [Long Beach] activists”  

"A tentative settlement that would end a nearly 10-year dispute over growth and controversial modernization at Los Angeles International Airport has some Long Beach airport activists worried." 

"As part of the agreement, which would limit LAX growth by closing some terminal gates and scrapping parts of an $11 billion modernization plan that neighbors had heavily criticized, it calls for looking at ways to spread the growing number of air travelers to airports around the region."

"And while Ontario International and a Palmdale facility are specific targets for now primarily because they are run by LAX, Long Beach Airport could potentially be thrown into the mix, some Long Beach civic leaders believe."   (See article below.)

"Long Beach City Councilwoman Rae Gabelich . . . said there could be a growing political pressure to grow our airport. That we take more of our fair share.'"  

"Gabelich said she wants clarification from organizations like the Southern California Association of Governments about which regional airports should take more responsibility for handling travel growth."  

"'I ask them and they say the regional responsibility doesn't include Long Beach. They say Palmdale and Ontario,' Gabelich said. But she wants to see something in writing. Political pressure can develop quickly to include other facilities."  

For more . . . 

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El Toro Info Site report, December 2, 2005
Not all peaches and cream on the LAX plan

No sooner had we posted the article below, and begun updating it with new comments, than additional print media reactions crossed the radar screen.

The Long Beach Press Telegram editorializes that the "LAX settlement settles nothing."

"We want to believe that the leaders of Los Angeles will indeed follow through on their promises made regarding the expansion and modernization of LAX and exploring regionalization of air traffic (though not at Long Beach's expense)." That's an exact quote . . . "not at Long Beach's expense."

They probably have similar thoughts at Burbank where traffic is growing.

Referring to the upcoming $437 million expansion of JWA, "Our capacity decisions predate whatever was just decided (in Los Angeles)," said Courtney Wiercioch, a deputy airport director at John Wayne. True, and now the folks in Newport Beach must be asking themselves how these capacity decisions might play out postdate what was decided in L.A. Will passengers be allowed to fully utilize the new gates once they are built?

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El Toro Info Site report December 2, 2005 - updated
What's next for O.C.?
 

This week’s decision to develop new plans for Los Angeles International Airport - modernizing, improving safety, but limiting the airport’s growth – is being "hailed by LAX neighbors".  The agreement includes the provision that Los Angeles “invite the FAA, the Southern California Assn. of Governments, airport operators and area counties to develop a plan to encourage airlines to spread air traffic among the region’s airports.” See the story below.

 

So far, we await published reaction to the plan from some of the region’s other airport operators and counties. Ontario and Palmdale frequently are mentioned as candidates for growth and former military bases in the Inland Empire are referenced as possiblities. There also are suggestions of "better utilization of existing capacity", an approach that seems to be favored by the airlines.

 

The O.C. Register reports that John Wayne officials are going forward with a substanital expansion of the airports capacity adding 6 new gates, bringing the total to 20, and  "a 68 percent expansion of the terminal . . . . Under an agreement brokered between the county and residents groups, the number of passengers at John Wayne is limited to 10.3 million through 2010. The cap will then go to 10.8 million through 2015."

With El Toro off the table, it would be no surprise if Orange County was asked to utilize the expanded facilities to spread a little more of the future air traffic to John Wayne Airport.

 

The Southern California Association of Governments has been preparing for regionalization of aviation. SCAG commissioned a Regional Airport Management Study posted here. The lengthy report suggests three possible approaches: a regional consortium to conduct planning and transportation marketing, a reconstituting of the Southern California Regional Airport Authority, or a Joint Powers Authority for regional airports. 

 

Whichever alternative is selected, Orange County will be invited to participate.

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LA Times, December 1, 2005
“City Agrees to Craft New LAX Overhaul”
“In exchange for area communities dropping their lawsuits, most of the latest plan will be shelved. Rebuilding of a runway will proceed.”

“After 11 years and $150 million in design costs, the city has shelved its latest plan to modernize Los Angeles International Airport and will start over to craft a proposal that will do more to improve security and refurbish the aging facility.”

“The airport intends to begin work early next year on the one project still on track: the $300-million rebuilding of the southern runway complex, which federal officials maintain is critical to preventing close calls between aircraft.”

“The city consented to review the $11-billion modernization effort in exchange for a promise from airport-area communities to drop federal and state lawsuits that challenged the plan and could have prevented work on the runways.”

“As part of the deal, Los Angeles also agreed to try to slow passenger growth at LAX, study how to spread air traffic around the region, explore ways to cut congestion, and speed up efforts to reduce noise and air pollution.”

“Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who opposed many of the major elements of the plan, will now have an opportunity to remake predecessor James K. Hahn’s controversial blueprint for LAX.”

“Settlement participants said Wednesday that the mayor could not have accomplished his goal without the help of [Lydia] Kennard, his hand-picked airport director, who immediately began attending the negotiating sessions after she started at Los Angeles World Airports on Oct. 8.”

“Despite optimism that federal [FAA] officials will approve the deal, airlines object to one of the most controversial elements - a plan to decrease the number of gates where airplanes park from 163 to 153 . . . If LAX serves 75 million passengers in 2010 . . .  the airport will eliminate two gates a year for five years.”

The city will “invite the FAA, the Southern California Assn. of Governments, airport operators and area counties to develop a plan to encourage airlines to spread air traffic among the region’s airports, including Ontario International and the Palmdale facility, both of which the city of Los Angeles operates.”

Click for more including the Daily Breeze report on the agreement . . .

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Irvine World News, December 1, 2005
Park may shrink, Stables to close, Shea defends trip

The Irvine World News reprises the November 26 OC Register story on the possible reduction in size or rescheduling of the growth of the Great Park.

The El Toro stables will close in December though a study of equestrian uses in the park will continue.

Councilmember Christina Shea and GPC board member Michael Pinot rebut criticism of the GPC board's trip to Spain and France.

Click for the three articles.

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Click here for previous news stories