Airport back up in the air

Barbara Diamond

News that Los Angeles wants to lessen its airport’s burden by putting

a commercial airport at El Toro didn’t come as a shock to

Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman.

Kinsman is the Laguna Beach representative to the El Toro Reuse

Planning Authority, a coalition of South County cities that battled

the proposed El Toro airport, armed with advertising, lobbying,

litigation and persistence.

“[The planning authority] has known and has been warning people

that there has been activity by L.A. in Sacramento and in Washington

D.C. to make sure this issue stays alive,” Kinsman said.

Most county residents thought the issue was laid to rest when

voters passed Measure W last year. Measure W supported a “Great Park”

rather than an airport at El Toro.

But earlier this month, news that Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn

had secretly asked the federal government for the OK for L.A. to

manage an airport at El Toro revived the decade-long debate.

Most experts agree that such a move is a long-shot, at best.

On Monday, the Southern California Assn. of Governments regional

council, which two years ago approved a plan that included a

30-million- passenger-per-year airport at El Toro, came down on the

side of airport opponents. The association voted to adopt an aviation

plan in its 2004 regional transportation plan that doesn’t include

the airport, according to Kinsman.

“That is very important,” Kinsman said. “It was in there until

Monday.”

Rep. Chris Cox publicly supported and applauded Laguna’s efforts

against the airport at a Laguna Canyon Conservancy meeting last year.

“The sale of the property will make the Navy more money than all

the other base closures in the country combined,” said Kinsman, a

certified public accountant noted for looking at the bottom line.

Recently publicized actions by Los Angeles preclude for the time

being the goal of the planning authority to go out of business.

“[The planning authority] had hoped to revise its budget downward

this year, but this changes things,” Kinsman said. “I hope this is a

wake-up call. Right now, Laguna Beach has only budgeted half of the

[planning authority] dues. I will request the rest of it at the

mid-year budget review. “

Kinsman is also concerned about Supervisor Chuck Smith’s position

on SCAG’s regional board. Smith is a long-time supporter of an

airport at El Toro.

“I’ve been saying for a long time that airport opponents must stay

concerned until Irvine annexes the property and the Department of the

Navy sells off the parcels according to the zoning,” Kinsman said.