V-plan backers to hit the streets

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT BEACH -- They hope “V” stands for victory.

Organizers of an alternative runway plan for an airport at the closed

El Toro Marine Corps Air Station are ready to hit the streets to gather

names for their proposed countywide ballot measure.

“We’re excited about giving people a reasonable alternative to two bad

choices,” said Ann Watt, a Santa Ana Heights resident and supporter of

the plan.

They just might not get that alternative to the people quite as

quickly as they’d originally hoped.

The so-called V-plan would realign the airfield’s two crossbar runways

into a “V” pattern. The east-west runway would be removed and moved to

the northwest.

Watt and other members of the New Millennium Group submitted their

Reasonable Airport Initiative to the county clerk on Aug. 6. On Monday,

the group received a ballot title and summary from the county counsel’s

office.

They vowed to hit the streets as early as today to begin collecting

names.

However, group members are now backing off promises to have the

initiative on the March ballot. The group must submit 71,206 valid names

to get the initiative put on a county ballot. They will have 180 days to

collect the names to make the November 2002 election.

Getting on the March ballot -- when a South County alternative to

build a park at the base instead of an airport could go before voters --

has become highly unlikely because supporters would need to meet a Sept.

18 deadline to submit the names. The county’s Board of Supervisors could

also put the initiative on the ballot, but Supervisor Tom Wilson has said

he doesn’t expect that to happen.

In technical terms, the initiative would change county zoning around

the base. Even if it qualifies and is passed, there is no guarantee it

would be implemented.

“Generally, people will sign anything,” said Dave Ellis, spokesman for

the Newport Beach-based Airport Working Group. “They’ve got a big, tall

order ahead of them.”

The group will use a small band of 100 volunteers to collect the

names. They’ll try to collect some names later this week at the Balboa

Pier and other areas of the city, group members said.

While a handful of elected officials have voiced support for the

V-plan, there are powerful forces against it. County airport boosters,

Newport Beach and South County anti-aiport leaders have all said they

oppose it.

County airport planners studied the V-plan in their environmental

review of a 28.8-million annual passenger airport at the base, but

discarded it as unworkable.

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

[email protected] .