As you are aware, on April 16, 2002, the Board of Supervisors, on a 3-2 vote, supported the recommendation to annex the property at the former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro to the City of Irvine.  Immediately following, the City of Irvine traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with Assistant Secretary of the Navy, HT Johnson. In a letter released this past week, Mr. Johnson commended the City of Irvine for "assembling such an impressive package in such a short period of time." He also stated that the Navy supports the decision of the LRA to defer to the City for decisions concerning the planning and the reuse of El Toro. I was so proud to work with our Chair, Cynthia Coad, to finally bring a third vote for moving forward with a non-aviation plan.

The real big news of the week was that the Department of the Navy issued its Record of Decision (ROD). It clearly states that with the passage of Measure W, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) "at this time has no further role in the decision making process for the disposal of MCAS El Toro.  This function solely rests now with the department of the Navy." Although that statement is pretty clear, we cannot and will not end our mission until we get a statement that clearly states, "there will be no aviation reuse at the former MCAS El Toro."

I personally met with Assistant Secretary Johnson today to discuss the Navy's next steps and re-emphasize my commitment to cooperate in any manner the Navy required.  In other letters that were distributed from the Department of Navy and the desk of HT Johnson, it is very encouraging to see that they are willing and interested in developing partnerships between the Navy, the City of Irvine and the General Services Administration.  HT Johnson states that the Navy is confident that these authorities will be able to develop appropriate processes and procedures advantageous to the community and the Nation.

As for the County news, negotiations have begun to terminate the Master Lease with the Navy. This was a five-year agreement with the Navy, which was set to expire in 2005. Unfortunately, the costs to operate and maintain the base were having an enormous impact on the County general fund.  However, days after the election, Supervisor Silva and myself traveled to D.C. to sit down with Secretary Johnson and begin negotiations for a peaceful end to the Master Lease and a transition process that could benefit all.  I am pleased to report that the Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to begin the termination process.

Also, the planning agency known as the Local Redevelopment Authority is no longer needed and will no longer be a separate agency.  It was established to build an airport, which voters have overwhelmingly rejected…twice!

In addition, a number of contracts that were approved for the sole purpose of implementing an airport reuse plan, by a majority of the Board Members, are being notified in writing that their contracts will now be terminated.  Unfortunately, a majority of the Board voted 3-2 to continue to fund two of the lobbyist contracts.  I was adamantly opposed to this action because the two Washington D.C. firms are not only being retained at a combined salary of $35,000 per month, but the County will be forced to spend funds from the County general fund just to hire firms to schedule meeting appointments.

As you are aware, Fund 14M, which was designed to fund airport planning by utilizing John Wayne Airport (JWA) Reserve funds, can no longer support the LRA expenditures.  It also important to note that according to recent newspaper articles, JWA is now back in the "black" and they have also been removed from "credit watch" by Standard and Poor's.  I would like to commend Alan Murphy, Director of JWA and his staff for keeping the Board up to date with honest and accurate information.

In closing, I would like to personally thank each and every one for your constant support and enthusiastic dedication.  The constant words of encouragement have kept me going for all these years and I truly appreciate all of you taking the time out of your personal life to join in this great cause.  Working together, we were successful - very successful!

Todd Spitzer