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Irvine-Sponsored Poll Says Execs Don’t Favor Airport Plan

Nearly 60% of business executives said they believe quality of life is more important than a proposed commercial airport at El Toro, according to the first-ever random poll of business executives on the controversial issue.

However, the poll did not ask the execs for a yes or no on whether they favored a proposed El Toro airport. And airport proponents criticized the poll for having what’s known as “push questions,” which subtly guide respondents to a certain answer.

The city of Irvine commissioned the $35,000 poll as part of its efforts to convince the business community that an airport is not needed. Irvine is spending approximately $5 million this year to stop the airport, which is being planned by the Orange County government.

“This survey proves we have been given misinformation by airport proponents” that business wants the airport, said Irvine Mayor Christina Shea.

Business groups like the Orange County Business Council have supported the airport.

Even so, the Irvine poll didn’t specifically ask business executives whether they believe a commercial airport should be built at El Toro.

“There is no yes or no vote on this issue,” said Robert Green, a principal in the firm of Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates Inc. “It was appropriate to ask the questions the way we did.”

For example, the question on whether executives support an airport at El Toro was phrased, “Some people say that businesses, especially high-tech, depend on the Orange County quality of life to attract and keep a talented work force and that a new airport at El Toro will harm the quality of life here. Other people say that business interests are best served by making the El Toro site a convenient, commercial airport that will fuel economic growth in the 21st century. Which comes closest to your view?”

The response was 59% in favor of quality of life versus 35% for an airport.

Business executives have generally been leery of being dragged into the airport battle, and the poll reflected that attitude. Green said the pollsters contacted more than 2,000 Orange County firms with revenue of more than $5 million. The firm got responses from 303 companies, a low number for a scientific poll. Of the officials from these companies, 116 identified themselves as presidents, 14 as owners and 40 as principals. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 6 percentage points. n

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