Extension of settlement agreement only benefits...

Extension of settlement agreement only benefits airport

The lead article in the Daily Pilot on Saturday entitled “FAA

urged to extend JWA caps” is misleading at best.

1. The headline implies that the Federal Aviation Administration

is being urged to extend the existing John Wayne Airport caps when

the “settlement agreement” reluctantly agreed to by the city of

Newport Beach, the Airport Working Group and Stop Polluting Our

Newport at the insistence of the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority

actually allows John Wayne to grow at what is anticipated to be the

aviation market-rate for the next 10 years starting in January 2003,

instead of 2005 as stated in the original agreement.

Newport City Council members (for fear of losing the John Wayne

curfew after 2005) felt coerced into agreeing (a) to allow John Wayne

to expand to meet the anticipated aviation growth, (b) to stop

supporting a commercial airport at the closed El Toro Marine Air Base

and (c) to vote to give anti-airport south-county cities a

controlling majority on the Local Agency Formation Commission to

allow the city of Irvine to annex El Toro.

2. The next-to-last paragraph of the article stated that the terms

would apply for 20 years instead of 10 years beyond 2005, as stated

in the new settlement agreement. Cox is pressing the FAA not to

support any possible litigation against this new settlement, because

it will allow John Wayne to handle the anticipated growth in the

aviation market for the next 14 years while the closed El Toro is

sold to housing developers and annexed by Irvine and eliminated as a

reasonable regional airport, per www.ocxeltoro.com.

Then, after 2016, John Wayne would be forced to expand the runways

and serve larger B-767 aircraft, while Cox will have retired or been

appointed as a federal judge, and the Orange County Board of

Supervisors will be convinced by their business supporters to repeal

the curfew ordinance that has no sunset date and is “grandfathered”

by the 1990 Airport Noise and Capacity Act.

I believe everything possible is being done to ensure the

extension and expansion of the John Wayne settlement agreement

instead of carrying out the will of the voters this November when

they supported the proponents’ argument for Measure B (by 60.7%)

calling for the Navy not to sell any of the closed El Toro while any

of the property remains contaminated, but rather lease the existing

runway, 16L-34R, to the Los Angeles World Airports immediately to

help pay to remove existing contamination and bypass the zoning

restrictions of the fraudulent Measure W great park.

CHARLES GRIFFIN

Newport Beach

* Charles Griffin is a member of the New Millennium Group and

helped design the proposed V-plan runway scheme for El Toro.

Quick reply should open eyes to Cox’s sincerity about death tax

I was impressed with Rep. Chris Cox’s quick reply to Wallace

Wood’s letter to the Pilot regarding the death tax and grateful for

his enlightening information on the subject (“Death tax is a burden

none can afford,” Sunday). Far too many people are under the

impression this tax is only for the rich and are, therefore, rather

unsympathetic to charges of it being unfair. In reality, the death

tax affects millions of Americans with average incomes. It has been

the cause of families having to sell their small business or farm

land, the only source of income they had, in order to pay for the tax

when their loved one died. Something is terribly wrong when

government is the cause of a family’s loss of income and subsequent

poverty. We applaud Cox and other elected officials in Washington who

are doing their best to correct a bad tax law.

DAN AND BONNIE O’NEIL

Newport Beach

More species in Fairview Park than one burrowing owl

The Daily Pilot’s article on Fairview Park this morning (“Fairview

owl has friends in high places,” Saturday) does not reflect the facts

as they were presented at the Nov. 18 City Council meeting or in the

city staff report. Your article, which repeatedly refers to a “lone”

owl and the “one” owl, neglects to mention the numerous other

sensitive resources present on the site and critical in the City

Council’s decision Monday night.

As stated in an Oct. 28 letter from the California Department of

Fish and Game: “In addition to the burrowing owl, the site supports

or has the potential to support other sensitive biological

resources.” These include rare native grasslands and vernal pools.

This information was clearly presented at the City Council meeting

and it was the information on these previously unidentified resources

that prompted the deletion of certain elements of the plan.

While it may make an interesting story to claim “lone owl stops

park plans,” it doesn’t make a very accurate one.

SANDRA GENIS

Costa Mesa

* Sandra Genis is a former Costa Mesa mayor.

Temple plans should have complied with zoning

In response to the letter from Dixie Daryl Clark, Nov. 20

(“Steeple did not need to be controversial”):

I agree with Clark that the height and lighting of the steeple on

the Mormon temple did not need to be controversial. It should not

have been controversial because it should not even have been a topic

for consideration by the city. The area is zoned for a 50-foot height

limit, and that is what it should have. The city should not have an

ordinance permitting exceptions to zoning height limits for churches.

When it comes to building and zoning matters, they should be treated

the same as anyone else. If they want to build a tall structure, then

they should do it in an area that is zoned for tall structures and

not a low-rise residential neighborhood.

Clark seems to have missed the point as far as the objection to

the height of the steeple. This issue had nothing to do with

religion. The opposition was just to a tall lighted structure. The

opposition would have been the same to a lighted sign or water tank.

Just because the matter has been settled does not, in any way, imply

that the residents of the neighborhood are happy. Most of us still

feel that the steeple is too tall and, with its lighting, is

inappropriate for our neighborhood. It would be better suited to

someplace like the Irvine Spectrum, where there are tall lighted

structures and because it is a regional facility and not intended to

serve only the local community.

Clark mentioned her concerns for the design of a house of worship.

I have been unable to find any publication in a peer-reviewed journal

that clearly demonstrates that the efficacy of prayer is directly

proportional to the height of the building of worship.

ALLEN K. MURRAY

Newport Beach