READERS RESPOND -- Why is support for an El Toro airport growing?

People realize that John Wayne Airport will not be sufficient to serve

Orange County in the future and that the El Toro Marine base is the last

realistic place to develop an airport. The U.S. government agencies have

a critical need for all of Camp Pendleton and will not make land

available for an airport. Orange County residents are realizing that the

cost -- taxes -- to them will be far less to build an airport and have it

serve the future needs of our community than to build and maintain a park

that would have minimal use.

VERN BONAR

Corona del Mar

I think the support for an airport at El Toro is growing because many

of these people probably tried to catch a plane out of LAX and missed it

because of the traffic, accidents, etc., on the San Diego Freeway. The

best thing is to go up the night before, but that means a hotel bill and

a parking bill. Also, if Donald Ramsay of Newport Beach doesn’t like the

art, he doesn’t have to go (Mailbag, “Art museum needs to display some

decent art,” July 26). Everybody has a different definition of decent

art. I don’t like the so-called new art either, but the original “White

Unwhite” in the modern museum in New York that I saw in the ‘50s was a

brand new concept and worth looking at and thinking about.

LYNN MERLES

Costa Mesa

I’m in the development business, and I’ve been involved in

contaminated properties for many years. I have no involvement with the El

Toro airport issue one way or the other, other than the fact that I live

here, and I’m looking and feeling for this whole community with what’s

going on.

The cleanup of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Base after those tanks

have been there all those years -- the fuel tanks all over the place and

the contamination -- to make that into a park and to take that airport

out would be a terrible thing as far as cost goes. It would be many

millions of dollars to clean that up to reach the requirements of the

regional water-quality control board and make it a safe place for a park

and people.

It’s just hard to believe that they can take an airport with all the

instrument landing approach instruments and everything that’s there,

that’s in place with noise abatement for the aircraft in and out of

there, to do anything with that property other than to make it a regional

airport with lots of controls and lots of limitations, that’s OK. But to

try to tear it out of there and clean it up and make it into a park --

another recreation development where we’d have to go in there and tear it

all up and clean it up -- would cost many, many millions of dollars.

RON SMITH

Newport Beach

Why is the support for the El Toro airport growing? It’s because of

the massive spending and the mailers that are being sent out by the

pro-airport people based on the same false evidence and facts of

projection. The same people that projected we’d have a 40% or 50% more

increase in demand now from 15 years ago are the ones who are trying to

create a crisis and convince us we need a polluting airport in our county

to ruin and further reduce the quality of life. I’ve always believed that

two wrongs don’t make a right, so just because we may have to put up with

John Wayne doesn’t mean we should throw another airport into our county

and ruin it for everyone else too.

Quality of life issues are what’s important to us in Orange County

that think straight. Massive growth would just turn us into L.A., and we

don’t need that. We need to look at keeping our water treated. We need to

look at getting our beaches pristine so that we’ll bring in the kind of

revenue from tourism that an airport can never bring. It also brings a

long-term quality of life to all the residents of Orange County rather

than more pollution and more crowds. Without the $30 billion that they’ve

taken from the John Wayne Airport working budget to spend to promote this

airport, there would be no support gaining.

But if you tell people things long enough -- even if they’re not true

-- they will begin to believe them, as evidenced in Germany when they

were propaganda masters. So, that’s why. It’s purely misinformation due

to illegal spending. That’s the only reason there’s any increase in

support. When the election comes, this airport will be soundly defeated

by the clear-thinking people in our county.

FRED RAWLINS

Newport Beach

The Orange County Business Council and Cal State Fullerton poll had a

random sampling of 532 Orange County residents. The random sampling had

80% from North County and only 20% from South County. That is not a

random sampling. That’s a setup. Those people need to understand that the

vast, vast majority of Orange County residents do not want an airport at

El Toro. Sorry, come on. Live with it, and that’s the way it’s going to

be.

GEORGE LAMPINEN

Newport Beach

I think the citizens of South County should bear the responsibility

for their air transportation and not expect the rest of Orange County,

Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County to bear the responsibility

for their air travel, and business, commerce, commercial, air freight,

etc., so it’s all a matter of responsibility.

SHEILA BOWLES

Corona del Mar