Navy Sets Clock for Releasing El Toro

The Navy on Monday pledged to approve the county’s El Toro airport plan by Feb. 22, for the first time setting a timetable for relinquishing control of the closed Marine base.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy H.T. Johnson visited each county supervisor with the new date for completing a joint environmental review of the airport project by the Navy and Federal Aviation Administration.

The Navy’s approval would be followed by a public-review period and formal signing of the joint document no later than April 15. Doing so essentially approves the county’s plan for an airport at the base. The next step is conveyance of the property, which could take years because of environmental cleanup.

Even though these approvals are just the first step, the county could begin limited flights before the land is completely turned over to its control.

Of the 56 bases closed in the 1990s, El Toro is the only one whose redevelopment plans have not yet been approved by the federal government. With other bases, the government has followed the will of local reuse officials; there is no indication that the federal agencies would reject the county’s proposal.

Johnson, who assumed his position in August, is well aware of the local controversy surrounding the county’s airport plans, said Lt. Col. Paul Brygider, Johnson’s assistant.

He said Johnson made the trip to Orange County to “get acquainted� with the supervisors, a majority of whom voted last week to certify an environmental review of the airport project required by state law. With that done, the federal government should be able to finish its part within six months, he said.

“The new administration is committed to trying to move this along,� Brygider said. “We support whichever way the local reuse authority wants to go. We’re here to do our part.�

The news was received enthusiastically by airport backers, who have complained in recent years about delays and inactivity by Navy officials. Last year, the Navy stopped work on its El Toro review after passage of a local anti-airport measure, subsequently nullified by a judge. That court ruling is being appealed.

“This was the most productive 15 minutes on this [issue] in five years,� pro-airport Supervisor Chuck Smith said. Previous Navy officials were “nothing but foot-draggers,� he said. “We’re back to a Navy that’s committed to getting things done.�

Johnson is “a very action-oriented individual,� Board of Supervisors Chair Cynthia P. Coad said. “He’d done his homework. I was very pleased with the whole meeting.�

The new schedule represents the first concrete date for completing the Navy’s approval, airport booster Bruce Nestande said.

“As far as I’m concerned, it means we’re going forward with an airport,� said Nestande, president of Citizens for Jobs and the Economy, which has backed the airport since 1994. The base closed in July 1999.

Airport foes also found something to cheer in Johnson’s visit. They noted that even though the Navy will sign off on the plan by Feb. 22, the actual record of decision won’t be posted until April 15. That date is well after the March 5 election, in which airport opponents hope to place a measure before voters to replace the airport with a large park.

“When the initiative passes, I believe the wheels on the airport are going to come off,� said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who opposes the county’s plans for El Toro.

“It’s good that people will have a chance to approach the election realizing that all things are possible,� said Meg Waters, a spokeswoman for a coalition of anti-airport cities.

After leaving Orange County on Monday, Johnson visited Camp Pendleton and was scheduled to visit the Navy’s southwest regional command in San Diego today.

Johnson didn’t meet with members of Orange County’s other base-closure agency--the city of Tustin. But he is aware of the controversy also surrounding the closed Marine helicopter station, Brygider said.

A bill signed by Gov. Gray Davis requires the city to turn over 100 acres of the base to the Santa Ana Unified School District. The bill, fought by Tustin, takes effect Jan. 1.