OC Beats LA
Joel Kotkin’s argument (Feb. 14 Viewpoint) that young Internet/high-tech innovators prefer urban areas, and thus choose Los Angeles over Orange County, is way off base.
Kotkin points to Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Chicago and Dallas as being attractive urban centers. But he leaves out the greatest Internet/high-tech center: the Silicon Valley. I have been to San Jose, and there is certainly no urban oomph there, nor is there any funky urban excitement in the surrounding hotbed high-tech communities. And the Microsoft area? Believe me, Bellevue and Redmond, Wash. are the ‘burbs for sure.
No, Mr. Kotkin. Technology will go where there are good residential communities, fine schools and outstanding recreational opportunities. I have visited Los Angeles County’s vaunted Third Street Mall and Old Town Pasadena. They can’t hold a candle to Orange County’s Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine Spectrum, Old Town Orange nor Westminster’s Little Saigon.
Martin A. Brower
Publisher
Martin Brower’s Orange County Report
Corona del Mar
El Toro, Cont’d
Orange County voters should understand one thing: If Measure F passes, the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro is history. When its runways are plowed under they are gone , forever.
This means that in the future, when air travel demand has grown to the point that air travel reservations have to be made months in advance, and the freeways are so congested,as they are even now during certain hours of the day,that you can’t even get to some regional airports, El Toro will not be there to meet county needs.
This means that in the future, when our country is militarily involved on some foreign shore, El Toro will not be there, as it has so many times in the past, to serve as an aerial port of embarkation for troops and materiel going to and from the combat zone.
This means that in the future, when Orange County is hit, as it surely will be, by some Northridge-like earthquake, El Toro will not be there to evacuate the injured and receive incoming relief.
So, citizens of Orange County, think of the future. Vote “No” on measure F.
Norm Ewers
Irvine
The year is 2006, just six years after passages of Measure F. The former El Toro Marine base is no longer an airport. It is completely developed with homes, businesses and green space. The lid has been removed from John Wayne flights for a year; flights have more than doubled and there is no end in sight.
The need for additional air service has become apparent. Measure Z is placed on the next ballot, is promoted by the same folks that gave us Measure F, and is passed. Measure Z says “Zounds! We made a mistake with Measure F. Measure F must be voided in order to get John Wayne expanded to further serve the good people of Orange County.”
Exit stage left entire communities around John Wayne. Huge areas are condemned and some are no longer habitable. Families are driven out, having been legally deprived of their homes. Take pride, South County.
Bob Black
Newport Beach
Orange County continues to develop and grow. South Orange County is the largest-growing area and needs to accept and become a part of the solution for our future transportation needs.
Our family has lived in Newport Beach for 40 years, and as a result of the continued growth throughout the county our community has been singularly subjected to the increased activity at John Wayne Airport.
We have an opportunity to address our future needs because the fact is that John Wayne Airport consists of a single 5,700-foot runway versus El Toro’s four runways (two of 10,000 feet and two of 8,000 feet). We want Orange County to be able to support approximately 16 million annual visitors. With an operational airport at El Toro we can do that. This would allow and bring in a tremendous amount of revenue to the businesses and residents of Orange County.
Jayne Hause
As a resident of Newport Beach who lives under the current flight path of John Wayne Airport, I can surely empathize with South County residents. However, any notion that this county will not have to expand its airport capacity in the next 20 years is shortsighted. The El Toro Airport plan goes a long way toward solving some of these problems at far less of a social cost than any expansion of John Wayne Airport.
An expanded John Wayne would create air and noise pollution in an already crowded residential area, force the condemnation of hundreds of homes and businesses, negatively impact the Back Bay wildlife refuge, create traffic congestion on crowded surface streets and detrimentally impact over 250 schools within a five-mile radius of the airport. There is no buffer zone around John Wayne, unlike El Toro, which has an 18,000-acre buffer zone around the perimeter of the airport.
The airport issue is regional and a level-headed approach is needed. It is simply too easy to say “Not in my backyard” and ignore the realities that face an ever-expanding Orange County. At the very least, I hope that the same South County residents who so vigorously oppose an airport at El Toro will stand up and oppose any expansion of John Wayne with the same energy level.
Jon W. Gurka
Newport Beach
I read with great interest your Feb. 14 editorial. In it you state that Henry Nicholas brought Broadcom to Orange County (specifically Irvine) because that is where all his UCLA-trained engineers wanted to live.
Hmm. I wonder if the interest would have been as great if an international airport were in operation at El Toro? I do not think so.
We are doing just fine without an airport at El Toro.
Fernando De La Fuente
Mechanical engineer
How can supporters promote an airport based on the capacity needs of the county in the future, when the population is expected to grow only 385,000 by 2020? It is very clear that the passengers and cargo will be coming from surrounding counties. Traffic is already tough! Additionally, with expansion at LAX and Ontario, UPS’ 20-year lease for cargo operations at Long Beach, and the new Southern California Logistics Airport at the former George Air Force Base in Victorville, will there even be a need for more cargo capacity? I don’t think so!
Brad Schreiber
