Defensiveness follows request for audit Councilman...

Defensiveness follows request for audit

Councilman John Heffernan’s request for an account of the millions

spent on “educating” the public about Measure W, is perfectly in

order (“City awaits audit of pro-El Toro spending,” Aug. 15).

That money was taxpayers’ money. Any expenditure must be accounted

for. Why are the people involved crying “foul” if everything is on

the up and up? Why are the principal supporters of the measure have

nothing to hide, why all the fuss?

To me, it sounds as though some folks’ consciences aren’t too

clear.

JANET BARON

Newport Beach

South County needs to share its air burden

Yes, Hanna Hill (in Minneapolis), we’ve voted twice for an airport

at El Toro (Dear Joe, Aug. 15), Measure F was declared

unconstitutional and, with the help of the Airport Working Group

attorney, we’ll overturn Measure W.

Fuel is trucked to the John Wayne Airport after hours; at El Toro,

the fuel lines have been in place forever. Do you think the marines

trucked in their fuel?

The airport that is one of the most dangerous in the United States

is John Wayne because we have short runways, no buffer zone and the

pilots must decelerate upon takeoff. There are 20-plus schools under

the JWA takeoff and none at El Toro.

If the airport does not happen, the 14,000 acres of buffer zone at

El Toro will fall to the Irvine Co. What do you think they’ll do with

it? Build, build, build more homes. Poetic justice is what South

County will get.

El Toro has been an airport for 50 plus years. Hill’s last

paragraph slays me. Never have I seen anything claiming that flights

should not be over expensive homes in Newport Beach.

Those of us that live with JWA want South County (about

three-quarters of travelers at JWA are from South County) to share

some of this air traffic burden.

Is that too much to ask?

P.S. Joseph N. Bell does an excellent job as a journalist.

RACHEL PEREZ-HAMILTON

Costa Mesa

County civil war must end

I read Hanna Hill’s letter with great interest. But I have the

feeling there was some revisionist history involved. While she

mentions how Measure A barely passed, not a word is said about

Measure S, which lost 59% to 41%. (S would have overturned A.) There

was even an increase from 21% to 26% by South County cities in

support for El Toro.

One very intriguing sentence written by Hill was, “had the leaders

of the Airport Working Group used tact and political savvy, had they

approached the communities of South County with an open invitation to

consider all possible base reuses, that by now jets would be flying

at El Toro.”

I was then inspired to do some archives research on El Toro for

1994 and 1995 and here are my findings: Lake Forest and Irvine were

bitterly opposed to any aviation reuse at El Toro whatsoever.

In fact, Lake Forest tried unsuccessfully in court to keep Measure

A off the ballot and deprive voters of a say in the matter. The

cities of Irvine and Lake Forest were offered advisory roles by the

county. But they refused to join unless there was only non-aviation

reuse.

This would have been a chance for them to work out a win-win

situation; maximize the benefits like local economic stimulus, and

minimize the impacts, by implementing flight paths over open spaces.

Maybe I missed something in my research. But if there ever was any

sort of compromise proposed by South County cities, I would hope that

Hill will send a follow-up letter sharing the details. It is in the

best interest of the whole county to compromise and end this civil

war. All of us must work together toward an equitable and amicable

solution for all.

REX RICKS

Huntington Beach