Focus On Airport Issues

EDITORIAL:  Solidarity needed for JWA fight   Courtesy of Daily Pilot

This one was way overdue.

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa did the sensible thing recently when the two cities agreed to share the cost of fighting John Wayne Airport expansion and hold annual meetings to discuss airport issues.

Leaders for the two cities called the agreement “historic” and “monumental.”

Indeed it was.

For years, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa officials have opposed increases in the amount of passengers flying out of John Wayne, saying that the noise flights generate worsens residents’ quality of life.

Hundreds upon hundreds of residents can testify to the constant irritation — and interruption of their daily lives — of planes roaring overhead.

But Newport Beach has, historically, taken the lead in fighting John Wayne.

It was that city that negotiated the initial agreement with the airport that caps passengers at 10.8 million per year, and during the battle to establish an airport at El Toro — a proposal favored by both cities — Newport Beach spent about $2 million over a two-year period lobbying for the action.

“It’s time for the rest of us to step up and take a little bit of the financial responsibility off of Newport Beach,” Costa Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder said.

The memorandum of understanding between the two cities also calls for Costa Mesa and Newport Beach to reach out to other “corridor cities,” such as Santa Ana, Tustin, Orange and Irvine, to get them to join the effort.

Most of all, the joint effort means that a united front will be presented to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the Federal Aviation Administration and other decision-making bodies. This adds up to more bargaining power.

And that’s exactly what the Newport-Mesa community needs in this tooth-and-nail fight over expansion at John Wayne Airport.

Editorial:  JWA growth an issue that won't go away Courtesy of Daily Pilot

Maybe in the future air commuters will be able to park their cars at what will be called the John Wayne Airport and Transportation Center, and instead of boarding a flight right there, hop on a train and take a maglev ride to Ontario Airport or points beyond.

Or maybe, just maybe, more property will become available, maybe even at Camp Pendleton Marine Base, that would be perfectly suited for a new airport.

Unfortunately, we’re here to say those “maybes” can’t be counted on any time soon.

Indeed, the exorbitant costs of land, technology and building the infrastructure of rapid transit makes those options so cost-prohibitive as to almost be a pipe dream.

At least that was the impression we got after hearing from representatives of the Southern California Association of Governments as they discussed those very options at a meeting earlier this week with members of AirFair, a group dedicated to keeping the caps on flights and expansion of JWA intact.

“I thought the residents made it pretty clear to SCAG that we want them to find an alternative airport location, or put some high priority on some efficient transit system that will get people from here to an airport in Ontario or San Bernardino,” Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley was quoted as saying.

Foley is correct, and if that doesn’t happen, it’s too bad.

As the recent numbers at JWA show, the airport’s demand is increasing.

Numbers from last August showed a 7.2% increase in flights year over year.

Increasingly, the pressure on JWA is coming from air carriers and a booming population.

Thankfully, city, county and federal officials have inked the settlement agreement that extends the restrictions, capping flights and imposing noise curfews on the airport through 2015.

But make no mistake, that pressure is going to continue. Consequently, so should the quest to find a solution to JWA’s impending growth. Because expanding the physical size of the airport and destroying homes, neighborhoods and businesses simply is not an option.