JWA Flights
With the airlines all in trouble financially, it is surprising that those airlines flying out of John Wayne Airport have not requested a modification of flight paths taking off and landing there.
Since the El Toro airspace now is open, eastbound planes flying out of John Wayne no longer need to fly the six miles to the ocean and then make a left turn to the east. There is no reason for them to add these extra miles to every flight. The planes can make the 90-degree turn as soon as they have reached a safe altitude.
Only a few residences in Santa Ana Heights would be affected and the remaining area is open land and the university land reserve.
This change would save the airlines millions in the cost of aviation fuel and some minutes of flight time. It also would reduce the noise and pollution that Newport Beach and Costa Mesa experience.
Shirley A. Conger
Corona del Mar
Eminent Domain
I recently testified before the state Senate Judiciary Committee in support of a proposed constitutional amendment (SCA 15) to limit eminent domain to properties needed for public projects.
This amendment is needed following the Kelo v. New London case, in which a bare 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court majority lifted all limits on eminent domain. It is needed because of the longstanding practices of California redevelopment agencies to use eminent domain to benefit purely private development projects.
This proposed amendment is sponsored by state Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, all but three Republican legislators and a number of Democrats, including Assemblyman Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana. It has been unanimously endorsed by the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
The measure failed to get out of committee by a 3-2 vote, with three L.A. County Democrats opposed and Joe Dunn, D-Santa Ana, one of two abstentions.
McClintock intends to lead a signature drive to qualify this measure on the November 2006 ballot. Helping him will be Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform, an activist network I’ve headed for the past 10 years.
Chris Norby
OC Supervisor
Fourth District
Sen. Tom McClintock (with me as a co-author) proposed SCA 15 as a state constitutional amendment to reverse in California the recent terrible Supreme Court ruling in Kelo v. New London.
SCA 15 naturally was killed on a party-line vote by those who believe that the rights of government always supersede the rights of the individual. Instead, they passed a watered-down alternative,AB 1162 merely says that they have to wait two years before they can take your house, but they can take your business right now.
Another bill, AB 1747 (Wolk, D-Davis), would allow the forcible taking of 17,000 acres of private land by a joint project of Yolo County and the Rumsey Band of Indians.
Can you believe it? The “government” taking these people’s property in this instance is an Indian tribe! This is not even part of their original “tribal land.” Are they seizing this property that has been in private hands for more than 100 years in order to build a casino?
The bill passed on a straight party-line vote with Democrats walking all over the private property rights they claim to want to protect.
Polling shows that the vast majority of Californians want this government abuse limited. So, as has happened so many times in the past few years, someone may have to go around the Legislature with an initiative so that the people can get what they want.
John Campbell
State Senator
R-Irvine
