City mulls running JWA

June Casagrande

In what could become the city’s biggest undertaking ever, local

officials on Friday said they will consider whether the city should

play a role in a host of county services, which could result in John

Wayne Airport’s being moved from county to city control.

The City Council on Tuesday will consider a list of

recommendations from the city’s Airport Policy Review Committee,

including creating a “Sphere Issues Committee” to examine a four-part

plan.

That committee would try to open talks with county leaders on

roles the city could play in matters city leaders say directly touch

Newport Beach’s borders -- including Back Bay tidelands, the Coyote

Canyon Landfill and the sheriff’s Harbor Patrol. But one item on

their list -- John Wayne Airport -- could prove to have the most

significant implications for the city and the region for decades to

come.

“We don’t want to control John Wayne Airport,” Mayor Steve

Bromberg said. “But we definitely want to have a say in it.”

Bromberg, City Atty. Bob Burnham and City Manager Homer Bludau all

conceded the proposal could pave the way for the city to take over

airport operations.

The John Wayne Airport Settlement Agreement limits flights and

growth at the airport through 2015, but a direct hand in managing the

airport could protect the city’s interests for years to come, they

said.

City officials emphasized, however, that at this point all they

would do was ask county leaders to sit down and talk.

County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom Wilson, who represents

part of Newport Coast, said that he would be willing to hear what the

city has to say.

“It’s not bad to sit down and start talking now, because 2015 will

be here before you know it,” Wilson said.

Supervisor Jim Silva, who represents Newport Beach, also said he’s

willing to talk with city leaders, but stopped short of saying

whether he felt it was appropriate for a city to play a role in the

airport.

“When you come to the airport, I have some major reservations and

concerns,” Silva said. “Orange County’s airport is probably one of

the best-managed airports in the nation, and we need to ensure that

quality.”

Airport Working Group member Rick Taylor said the possibility

raised several concerns.

He said he worried that the city might have to compromise some

limits on future airport growth in exchange for control.

“It could be a bad thing, it could be a good thing,” Taylor said.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Taylor, also a member of the city’s Greenlight Committee, said he

worried how much such measures might cost.

John Wayne Airport operates solidly in the black.

In 2002, the airport cost $59 million to run but brought in $76

million in revenue, for a roughly $17 million operating income,

according to the county’s financial statements.

When asked about the feasibility of the city running the airport,

Burnham pointed to Long Beach Airport as an example of a city-managed

operation.

Other aspects of the city’s four-pronged plan paint a less clear

picture, both financially and practically.

For example, one of the items city leaders want to talk to the

county about is the closed Coyote Canyon Landfill, which was annexed

to the city along with Newport Coast. The county now spends about

$1.1 million each year maintaining the landfill, in part because it’s

a source of methane gas.

“The operation and use of the Coyote Canyon is extremely important

to Newport Beach,” the committee report states. Besides ensuring the

health and safety of Newport Beach residents, city control of the

landfill could help assure that redevelopment there fits in well with

the nearby neighborhoods as well as help protect natural habitats.

Burnham and Bludau said that many of the city’s possible roles in

county functions could be self-funding, but that until specific

proposals are on the table, it’s unclear what the costs could be.

Tidelands in the Upper Newport Bay could also provide the city a

chance to take more control while taking advantage of cost

efficiencies. Now, tidelands in this area are managed by the county

while other tidelands inside city borders are managed by Newport.

“The unification of some or all of the tidelands under a single

agency may reduce expenditures while maintaining or enhancing service

to the public,” the report states.

The fourth pillar of the committee report focuses on West Santa

Ana Heights annexation, which may include the Santa Ana Country Club.

City officials hope that Newport Coast can serve as a model for a

good partnership between the city and county when and if western

Santa Ana heights is annexed.

If the council on Tuesday decides to create the Sphere Issues

Committee, that committee would have six months to report back to the

council with a more specific strategy.

“This could be the biggest project the city’s ever been involved

in since the incorporation of the city,” Mayor Steve Bromberg said.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].