Debate on El Toro takes off again
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Newport Beach and Costa Mesa need to make a quick, accurate
assessment of Los Angeles’ intentions. The time to support a
commercial airport at El Toro was no later than two years ago. Why
was Los Angeles silent then? Every argument it uses now concerning El
Toro would apply to John Wayne Airport. If it can’t overturn what
Orange County voters have decided with it’s last-minute ploy, it may
redirect its money, energy and influence to expanding any regional
airport, including John Wayne.
NED MCCUNE
Costa Mesa
I believe there is still a chance for a commercial airport at the
closed El Toro Marine Air Base because:
1. The settlement agreement in the litigation of the Airport
Working Group and others against the Navy’s plans in federal court
has not yet been completed, and the federal judge has stated that the
settlement agreement when completed must be made available for review
and comment by interested parties at a public hearing before he will
sanction the settlement agreement.
2. The responsibility has not been determined as to who will clean
up the site, including the soil (contaminated with hydrocarbon based
weed-killer) supporting the runways, and the working group has stated
that this responsibility must be included by the Navy in the
settlement agreement and sanctioned by the judge in federal court.
3. El Toro Airport remains important to this county and the nation
for purposes of national security and our economy.
4. The majority of residents in Orange County are beginning to
understand the importance of having El Toro Airport and they passed
Measure B at the November 2002 election by a super-majority of 60%
supporting the official proponents’ argument (included with the
Registrar’s sample ballot) that the federal government should lease
the existing Runway 16L-34R at the closed El Toro to the Los Angeles
World Airports to operate it as a national airport to bypass the
restrictions of Measure W and help pay for cleanup of the
contamination.
5. It is the last site in this region with an adequate
noise-tolerant buffer zone for an airport. Once gone, we lose an
important opportunity to solve this region’s air transportation
growth problems.
CHARLES GRIFFIN
Newport Beach
Yes, yes let’s keep it alive. We need an airport there.
DONNA ALBERTSEN
Newport Beach
Hooray to the visionary leaders in the city of Los Angeles who
have the vision and courage to explore using the former El Toro
Marine Air Base as one of our regional airports. As former executive
director of the El Toro Local Redevelopment Authority, and having
personally worked on El Toro Airport planning for more than five
years, I would like to briefly point out some very compelling
arguments for supporting this initiative. El Toro Airport represents
a safe, convenient, low-cost option for Southern California that can
be operational in temporary facilities within 12 to 18 months after
getting the green light.
There continues to be demand for air capacity in Southern
California. At Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport, air
carriers actively compete for open slots. The environmental impacts
at El Toro are manageable. There are virtually no homes within the
existing 14,000-acre noise buffer zone that surround the 4,700-acre
site. El Toro is bordered by four highways and Amtrak -- very easy
ground access already in place. Operating El Toro as a commercial
airport would improve air quality and traffic in the region due to
the decrease in diesel trucks carrying air cargo to and from LAX each
day.
Airport development costs will be lower than usual since there is
no land to purchase (already owned by the feds) and the runways are
already built. The Federal Aviation Administration has already
approved safe aircraft arrival and departure procedures for El Toro
Airport. It can be designed and built as a state-of-the art airport
with all the latest in aviation security. Its close proximity to Camp
Pendleton makes it a great back-up military airfield.
I applaud L.A. Mayor James Hahn, L.A. Airport Commission President
Ted Stein, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Rep. John Mica and Supervisor
Charles Smith, all of whom understand the enormous aviation value El
Toro represents to our region in the decades to come.
Let’s show full support to our elected officials for this bold
move. They will need it. With certainty, El Toro Airport opponents
will be ruthless, merciless and well funded in their opposition.
GARY SIMON
Huntington Beach
The chances for El Toro are good.
And it is good for: Orange County, South California, for
employment and future generations, and for the economy.
You can’t stop the progress.
MARIA and DANIEL BARRERA
Newport Beach
Your Saturday article “L.A. jump-starts El Toro battle” describes
clearly the issues at the former El Toro Marine Air Base to re-open
the airport as a commercial airport. The article quotes both Tom
Naughton, a volunteer and president of the Airport Working Group, and
Mimi Walters, chairwoman of the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority, the
South County anti-airport group, and a paid public relations
consultant.
The Southern California region is deficient in airports; without
El Toro there will be a 16% shortfall in airport capacity by 2025.
Orange County especially is lacking in airports and now exports 12
million passengers a year to LAX.
L.A. Mayor James Hahn is presenting a solution to this lack of
airport capacity by offering Los Angeles World Airports as the
operator of the El Toro commercial airport. That group already
successfully manages four airports: LAX, Palmdale, Van Nuys and
Ontario.
Rep. Chris Cox’s statement that there will be “a creation of the
second largest municipal park in the nation” is disingenuous. The
“Great Park” has now been reduced to little more than 300 acres, and
the land is contaminated by toxic wastes. There is a federal court
case challenging the amount of cleanup necessary, so that even the
existence of a future park is in jeopardy.
The Southern California region needs the El Toro airport to meet
the demands of future growth of the economy.
SHIRLEY A. CONGER
Corona del Mar
Being a Navy pilot, I consider El Toro one of the greatest
airports that I have used.
Our friends and Reps. Chris Cox and Dana Rohrbacher should have
taken this serious matter to higher levels long ago to avoid South
County interruptions.
Common sense dictates the need.
R. BROWN
Newport Beach
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