10 Reasons
Why
Orange County Should Not Cede Control of John
Wayne Airport
to Newport Beach
The
Newport Beach City Council reportedly seeks to create a joint
powers authority with the County to exercise control over expansion
of the
airport. A councilman says the draft agreement would give Newport “the
right to
approve any changes in the curfews or the expansion of the airport,
purchasing
land in either Newport or Costa Mesa, changing the footprint.”
- Newport
Beach, the Airport Working Group, the Orange County Regional Airport
Authority (OCRAA), and several past and present County Supervisors
argue that Orange County needs more airport capacity. It is imprudent
to commit to controls over the future development of JWA before the
County conducts a thorough study of how it intends to meet that
capacity
need. The current capacity restrictions remain in effect until 2015.
- John
Wayne Airport is a valuable asset that belongs to all of Orange County.
Its potential should not be compromised. As with El Toro - and the plan
to create a two-airport system in the county - JWA’s future should be
decided by all of Orange County. In San Diego County, a decision on
whether to expand or replace Lindberg Field will be put to a countywide
vote.
- The
airport shares boundaries with Irvine and Costa Mesa, not just with
Newport Beach.
- El
Segundo’s efforts to block LAX from moving a runway by 50 feet - to
improve airfield safety - is an example of what can happen when one
city attempts to control operations at an important regional airport.
- Several
studies show that John Wayne
Airport’s runway can be lengthened and that its capacity can be
increased. If the County decides to do this, the impact should be
carefully evaluated in accordance with the California Environmental
Quality Act, not by the desires of just one neighboring city.
- Los
Angeles County leaders want Orange County do its “fair share” and serve
more of the passengers that are using LAX. Allowing Newport Beach
leaders - who are known to oppose expansion of John Wayne - to have any
control could cause political repercussions.
- Allowing
one city to block fuller utilization of the county's only airport could
have negative consequences in
Sacramento where there is concern over how Orange County proposes to
handle its future aviation demand. It could fuel support for a
regional airport authority to override local decision making.
- Former
Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom
Wilson resisted efforts by Newport Beach to take over John
Wayne saying it
should “remain as a core business of the county.” The Board
should not yield to political pressure to let the camel get its nose
into the tent. They should not bind the hands of future supervisors.
- Use
of JWA is important to the airlines, the FAA, the County's tourism and
other industries, and to its residents who fly. Any change in the
future capabilities of the airport should be subjected to the same
intense public scrutiny that was applied to the reuse of El Toro and
the two-airport plan. Any proposed benefits to the county from a deal
should be fully and publicly explored.
- If
the decision on whether Newport Beach should be allowed to restrict the
expansion of the airport was put to a countywide vote, it probably
would lose on its merits.
Website Editor: This
website currently does not advocate expanding John
Wayne
beyond the limits that have been
negotiated for the airport. However, the need to serve future
Orange County demand could change the situation if convenient
ground
access is not provided to larger airports - especially in less densely
populated areas such as the Inland Empire.
Decisions regarding
the airport's future development should be made by a process similar to
that intended in the highly popular Measure
F. While
Measure F
was legally flawed, 67 percent of voters supported its core concept
that any
expansion of a county airport, including John Wayne, must be preceded
by an
environmental impact report, full public study, and a countywide vote.
Posted April 7, 2005
UTILIZING JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT