FLIGHT PLAN

Bonnie O’Neil

* EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a debut column, one of which will run Saturdays,

and is intended to be an update on airport issues from the perspective of

pro-airport groups.

The other day I was handing out fliers to people, informing them of an

airport information meeting I hoped they would attend. No, no, I wasn’t

being paid to get up at the crack of dawn and slip them under neighbors’

morning papers. To voluntarily sacrifice that extra hour of sleep, I was

motivated by something more important than money. I wanted everyone in my

community to be warned of the dangers to our quality of life if John

Wayne Airport is forced to expand. That brings me to the reason for this

column.

During my “tour of duty,” I ran into an early riser out grabbing the

paper to read with her morning coffee and toast. As I handed her the

flier, she asked some questions about the airport issue and then made my

heart sink with her comment about the potential expansion of John Wayne.

She said her friend in Mission Viejo told her not to worry because the

Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative on the March ballot will stop the

El Toro airport from being built and John Wayne from expanding. She was

so wrong, but attempts to convince her of that were met with some

skepticism. I’m sure she wanted to cling to the false hope that her

quality of life was not in jeopardy. I don’t blame her; I’d like to

believe that myself.

However, we must face reality before it is too late. The Safe and Healthy

Communities Initiative will indeed help her South County friend sabotage

the El Toro airport plans (that’s what its authors designed it to do),

but don’t be fooled into thinking it will help you or me stop an

expansion at John Wayne. Don’t take my word for it, however, read on.

I asked Newport Beach Mayor Dennis O’Neil his thoughts on the matter and

he said, “This initiative will make it almost impossible for a commercial

airport to exist at El Toro and will place an unfair burden on John Wayne

to expand to the real detriment of the surrounding communities.

Therefore, the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative is in fact unsafe

and unhealthy because it can only lead to increased air pollution,

traffic congestion and a depression of economic opportunity for this

region.”

Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan agrees, saying, “The Safe and Healthy

Communities Initiative was designed for one purpose -- to stop the El

Toro airport. This will only increase the pressure to expand John Wayne

into and over our neighborhood. If successful, how long will it be until

they propose another initiative directed solely at expanding John Wayne?

We must defeat this smoke screen proposal now.”

Now I ask, if you live in Newport or Costa Mesa, are you going to believe

our mayors or take a chance on what your friends in South County think?

We need your help to defeat the initiative. Begin by sharing this

information with your friends and neighbors at PTA meetings, during your

kids’ sports activities, at work and even in the checkout lines. With

your help, we just might make a big difference in the outcome of the next

election. Everyone deserves to understand the relationship that exists

with the El Toro airport, the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative,

and and expansion of John Wayne.

Oh, and if you missed the airport information meeting, keep your eye on

the Pilot for dates of future ones. Even if you already know the issues,

come anyway. We always have cookies or brownies available for you to

enjoy and we’ll answer any nagging airport questions you might still

have.

* BONNIE O’NEIL is a member of the Airport Working Group, a Newport

Beach-based nonprofit group that supports an airport at El Toro and is

against expansion of John Wayne Airport.