I am writing in response to Douglas Blaul's incorrect statements
regarding El Toro Airport ("Burbank can learn from O.C.'s history,"
June 16). Mr. Blaul asserts that Newport Beach's interest in El Toro
Airport was to close John Wayne Airport and move airport operations
to El Toro.
The growing population in Southern California will require more
airport capacity. This is not brain surgery -- it's called planning
ahead. John Wayne can serve domestic passengers and El Toro can
handle the international flights -- much like Van Nuys or Burbank
airports complement LAX. El Toro is a federal property owned by the
federal taxpayers. The best reuse of this airbase is an airport to
serve the national interest.
The public was never given an opportunity to discern the benefits
of an airport because a lawsuit filed by the El Toro Reuse Planning
Authority tried to stop the county of Orange from sending out
educational mailers on this crucial land-use decision. ETRPA was
successful in their endeavor because it was only until after the
election that the judge ruled against ETRPA -- unfortunately too late
for the voters. After various study groups, political consultants
came up with Measure W, the so-called "great park," because they
could "sell" the voters on a park versus an airport. Who couldn't --
wouldn't we all like our airports to be parks? Measure W was a
deceptive initiative -- it is a massive development with open-space
parks.
Finally, regarding Mr. Blaul's false statements regarding Rex
Ricks' involvement with El Toro: I know Mr. Ricks personally. Mr.
Ricks initially supported the non-aviation plan for El Toro. He
became involved in the El Toro debate only when South County
residents -- and specifically those activists that frequent the
anti-El Toro Airport website, www.eltoroairport.org, suggested
ramping up flights at Long Beach to accommodate the future aviation
demands they know will come. Although he lives in the flight path of
Long Beach and I live in the flight path of John Wayne Airport,
neither one of us supported the County Airport layout plan for El
Toro. Both of us opposed the County plan because it defied the laws
of physics and common sense.
The County plan called for flights to take off north of El Toro
into oncoming traffic, and to take off east with tailwinds over a
large number of South County cities (hence the opposition both from
South County residents and airline pilots). Both of us support the
Pilots' V Plan, which eliminates the east-west runway and modifies
the existing north-south runway to take advantage of the 100,000
acres of permanent open space that can be utilized for flight
patterns -- see www.ocxeltoro.com.
We hope that the Department of Defense will come to their senses
and realize that billions in taxpayers' money have already been
wasted closing an active military base. They need to stop the
hemorrhaging and lease this important airbase to Los Angeles World
Airports in the national interest with an airport design modeled
after the Pilots' Plan.
ANN WATT
TNMG, Inc. a 501(c)4
NonProfit Social Welfare Corp.
Better Plans Taking Flight
Newport Beach
