EL TORO: These past few weeks have been very tumultuous for the El
Toro debate. Given the certification of the Central Park Initiative by the
Orange County Registrar, it is important for you to know that this newsletter
is now prevented from expressing a specific position on this issue. However,
as you are aware, certain positions have remained consistent from day one.
Valid points supporting this have oftentimes fallen on deaf ears, but recently,
they have been confirmed by many experts in every relevant field, including
the Federal Aviation Administration and our local Congressmen. Be that as
it may, on with the latest!
EIR 573: On Tuesday, October 23rd, eighty-five public speakers came
to the podium during the Board meeting held to consider Environmental Impact
Report 573 (EIR) and the Airport System Master Plan (ASMP). Most opposed the
airport, but quite a few from Newport Beach, Newport Coast, and of course,
pro-El Toro visitors from L.A. spoke in favor of an airport. There appear
to be many reasons why airport opponents feel this plan is an all around "bad
idea". Some which were highlighted at the Board meeting included fuel
pipelines which the County's plan now relies upon that may not be useable;
lack of transportation infrastructure; lack of funding for construction to
meet our needs; a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report that stops
short of studying the County's proposal - a smaller, scaled down version instead
- but still portrays a bleak picture in air traffic and travel; questions
left unanswered and direct conflicts among the County's own evaluations and
reports left unexplained; and, the fact that our local, state and federal
legislators, and 70% of the County's residents, do not support the so-called
plan.
Supporters of the airport plan stood up to attack what could be considered
very valid concerns voiced by South County constituents. These pro-airport
people urged the Board of Supervisors to certify the EIR or ASMP without citing
facts contained within the County's plan or the EIR. It appeared they did
not know what was in the EIR - nor did they care. All that was alluded to
was that South County is selfish, conceited, and doesn't care about these
residents from L.A.
Even with these emotional comments from airport supporters against the citizens
who appeared to be concerned with the contradictions in the ASMP, the day
ended with a 3-2 vote certifying EIR 573, the ASMP and an 18 MAP airport proposal.
Just another step in the County's continually changing plan.
The County has been told by the Department of the Navy that a Record of Decision
(ROD), which officially transfers the property from the federal government
to the County, will not be issued before April of next year. Until then, flights
are not permitted into, or out of, the base. Of course this could all change
should the County's plan for reuse of the base change in the next few months.
The Board of Supervisors is considering and discussing all of the options
for interim use, and how those options fit into the future visions for El
Toro. Hopefully, these visions are not short-sighted.