Ranks Close on El Toro Plans : Military: Newport Beach decides to join forces with the county in an effort to transform the Marine air station into a commercial airport.

NEWPORT BEACH —  The city, which has helped lead an alliance of communities in a push to transform the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into a commercial airport, decided Monday night to close ranks with the county in crafting a reuse plan for the base.

The City Council also agreed that Newport Beach would leave the pro-airport group if other members prepared a reuse plan that competes with the county’s.

The move could provide a boost to the Board of Supervisors’ effort to form a countywide consensus on how to redevelop the base. The county’s plan to convene an El Toro advisory committee has been complicated by discussions from both airport foes and proponents about possibly forming their own reuse panels.

Newport Beach Mayor Clarence J. Turner, who is also a member of the pro-airport Orange County Cities Airport Authority, said the county--and not the OCCAA--has the best chance of being chosen by the Department of Defense to chart El Toro’s future.

The proposed county advisory panel appears balanced and would “analyze the base (issue) fairly and honestly,” Turner said.

Unlike the OCCAA, the county has the resources to comply with federal base-closing laws, he said.

Turner said that the OCCAA’s efforts to form a legally binding joint powers authority for El Toro are unlikely to succeed.

OCCAA officials said last week that they still planned to move forward with their proposed joint powers authority even if Newport Beach bows out. Without Newport Beach, the OCCAA would be made up exclusively of central and north county cities, such as Anaheim, Yorba Linda, Garden Grove and Stanton.

It remains unclear what impact Newport Beach’s move will have in influencing other cities to join the county’s proposed advisory council.

Last week, the Board of Supervisors postponed naming the committee after leaders from several South County cities complained that they were inadequately represented on the panel.

Irvine officials have also expressed concern about the county’s demand that it have the final say in planning decisions for the 4,700-acre facility.

The Irvine City Council, which opposes turning El Toro into a commercial airport, has expressed interest in possibly forming a separate joint powers authority that would give the county, Irvine and South County cities an equal voice in the El Toro redevelopment effort.