El Toro Airport Opposed

[Center for Public Environmental Oversight <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

January 14, 1998 6:16 PM EST

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 1998--Detailed evidence was
unveiled Wednesday that a clear majority of Orange County voters do not
support an aviation use for the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station after
it closes next year and would prefer another more productive use for
this property.

Registered voters surveyed last month by a nationally-recognized polling

firm said they opposed plans to convert El Toro into an international
commercial airport because it would hurt Orange County's quality of life

by increasing air and noise pollution, traffic congestion and crime. The

survey also found that Orange County voters disapproved of the way the
reuse planning process was being handled by the Orange County Board of
Supervisors and county planning staff.

"The public is alarmed at how the reuse planning process of the El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station has been handled," said Richard Dixon, chairman

of the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority. "The findings within this
public opinion survey reinforce our contention that residents of Orange
County overwhelmingly prefer a non-aviation alternative when the El Toro

Marine Base is closed in 1999. Other polls have shown the same."

The survey is the most in-depth assessment of public opinion to date on
the specific issue involving reuse of El Toro. "Through the recently
released UCI poll showed public concern over the county's airport plan
and its management, we felt compelled to dig deeper into public
awareness of the issue and ask them point-blank, if given a choice
between aviation and non-aviation use, which would you prefer? The
results and the public's opinions are very clear," said Dixon.

The El Toro Reuse Planning Authority (ETRPA) commissioned the public
opinion survey to learn more about public perspectives on plans for the
base and preferences for its various uses. The survey also provided
ETRPA with feedback that will be used to develop a meaningful
non-aviation plan to truly reflect the current and future needs and
desires of the county.

The public opinion survey was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, a
nationally-recognized, independent research firm with headquarters in
Alexandria, Va. Public Opinion Strategies has extensive nationwide
experience conducting similar research projects on various public policy

issues for numerous clients.

"The survey found very compelling information and opinions among Orange
County voters," said Tom Shepard with Stoorza, Ziegaus & Metzger,
ETRPA's public affairs firm who managed the survey conducted by Public
Opinion Strategies. "When asked at the start of the survey, 51 percent
of the respondents said they opposed and 43 percent favored a commercial

airport alternative for El Toro.

"Near the end of the survey, after all the arguments for both sides were

presented, opposition to a commercial airport grew even stronger to 57
percent while those who favored an airport declined to 38 percent. If an

election were held today, an aviation use for El Toro would be rejected
by a significant margin."

A vast majority of respondents countywide also overwhelmingly
disapproved of the county's management of the airport. "It's becoming
clearer that this concern is being shared by residents across the
county. Some have characterized this as a north-south county issue, but
the results indicated disapproval of the county's handling of the
aviation plan in all areas of the county," said Shepard.

The survey showed strong support for non-aviation uses being considered
for the El Toro property. The public would prefer to see the land used
for an educational complex that may include universities and museums;
for parks and other recreational uses; or as a technology center where
high-technology firms would be encouraged to locate.

The survey also revealed that Orange County voters believe the county
government should be spending its money trying to solve other problems,
like crime and congestion, rather than spending it on forcing the
conversion of El Toro into an international commercial airport on a
public that sees better uses for this prime piece of property. In the
survey, 69 percent of the respondents felt taxpayer dollars could be
better used on problems other than El Toro, while 28 percent believed
the county was not wasting money on ensuring an aviation reuse option
for El Toro. About 58 percent of those surveyed also felt Southern
California had enough airports, while 39 percent believed another
airport was needed.

"Another important message we found in this survey was the high
percentage of voters who felt the county was mishandling the reuse
planning process for El Toro," said Patricia Bates, Vice Chair of ETRPA.

"About half of those surveyed believe the process has been unfair to the

public and they felt they couldn't trust the county government on this
issue."

The survey of 600 registered voters was conducted by telephone between
Dec. 4 and Dec. 8. Survey results are accurate to within a 4 percent
margin of error.

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