Town Hall Meeting on El Toro Draws 600

A crowd of about 600 gathered at Foothill High School in Santa Ana on Monday night to ask questions about the county’s plans for the El Toro Marine air base and, in some cases, to express their staunch opposition to building an airport there.

“I don’t like this being thrust on me,” said Bea Foster, a resident of North Tustin and an outspoken airport opponent. “I think it’s completely unfair.”

Bob Zantos of Santa Ana said he would like to see some test flights made to show residents “how bad” an airport would be.

And Marlene Bronson of Tustin questioned the need for an airport at all. “My husband is a frequent flier, and he has no problem going to Long Beach or Los Angeles to take a flight,” she said. “Why do we need an airport?”

The town meeting was the last in a series of public forums on the subject hosted by Supervisor Todd Spitzer, whose district stretches from Yorba Linda to Mission Viejo.

The county is considering two options: an international airport at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station when the property is turned over to Orange County in 1999; or the non-aviation Millennium Plan, which was prepared by South County cities and would include a central park, housing, office space, a museum and a university.

The scene was much like that three weeks ago when about 500 people packed the El Toro High School gymnasium to review the two proposals. That crowd, most of whom were strongly opposed to the airport, said they fear that such a facility would increase air and noise pollution and traffic congestion, driving down property values.

“Just go to LAX and ask yourself if that is someplace where you would take your kids to have lunch and listen to the jets taking off,” Dave Kirkey, a Coto de Caza resident, said Monday, referring to a suggestion from county officials that a park could be near the proposed airport.

County planners propose a facility that could handle as many as 24 million passengers a year at El Toro. It would serve primarily as a long-distance and international airport, while John Wayne Airport would serve short-haul domestic travelers.

Some critics have suggested that Spitzer, elected on an anti-airport platform last year, has softened his position, and Republican Party leaders have said he may run for the state Assembly in a pro-airport district.

On Monday, however, he was adamant that his stance has not changed.

“I have not softened my position,” Spitzer said. “These meetings corroborate my position that the airport would be devastating to the communities most proximate to it.”