Vote may change shape of El Toro debate

NEWPORT-MESA -- When the five supervisors are done redrawing Orange

County’s boundaries today, Supervisor Tom Wilson’s district may not

include Newport Beach.

If that happens, officials in a town that has lobbied fiercely for an

airport at the closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station won’t shed many

tears.

Wilson, whose district now includes many of the cities that would be

affected by an airport at El Toro, has not shared the city’s view on the

proposal.

Under the leading redistricting plan, proposed by Wilson and South

County colleague Todd Spitzer, Newport Beach would be absorbed into the

district represented by Supervisor Jim Silva.

That plan would be fine with Mayor Gary Adams.

“I’d be happy with that,” Adams said. “I think Jim is pretty in touch

with our issues. His views on the airport are consistent with ours.”

The board is now split on the El Toro issue by a 3-2 vote. There had

been some speculation that the pro-airport supervisors would try to push

the bulk of South County into one district, but that effort hasn’t

materialized.

As for Newport Beach, Wilson said he wasn’t eager to abandon a city he

has represented since his appointment to the board in 1996 by then-Gov.

Pete Wilson.

While political views have often been injected into the redistricting

process, which began in 2000 as the U.S. census was being completed,

Wilson said he considered the map he proposed with Spitzer to be fair.

The districts, Wilson said, must be redrawn based on an equitable

distribution of residents, and that has to be based on population numbers

not politics. There are about 2.8 million residents in the county.

“I’m not giving up Newport because I want to,” Wilson said. “It’s

because I have to. . . . We’ve tried to subtract the politics out of the

process.”

Under the Wilson-Spitzer plan, several other cities would change

hands.

Silva, who represents Costa Mesa, would give up the western half of

Garden Grove and Stanton. Silva, who grew up in Garden Grove, said he’s

sad to see the city go, but welcomes Newport Beach.

“I think it would be outstanding” to represent Newport Beach, Silva

said. “Since [Wilson] is very much anti-airport and Newport Beach is very

pro-airport, it would probably take care of that problem for him.”

Newport Beach Councilwoman Norma Glover said she was disappointed that

an earlier plan calling for three supervisorial districts on the coast

had failed. Under that proposal, she said, water-quality issues would

have been important for a majority of the board.

She also said it would ultimately make no difference who represents

Newport Beach, because the board would still be split 3-2 on El Toro.

“I don’t think it matters,” Glover said. “I think Tom Wilson has

represented Newport Beach well. We know his stance on El Toro. He’s

always upfront.”

The board will take up the matter at a special meeting today at 2 p.m.

in Santa Ana.

QUESTION

Policy shift

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