County Supes Postpone Key El Toro Vote

ORANGE COUNTY, CA-A crucial vote regarding the proposed El Toro airport-conversion project has been delayed, after the Board of Supervisors determined that the public hadn’t received proper notice about an important board meeting.

The supervisors were planning to meet and vote on the project’s environmental impact report yesterday. But they instead unanimously agreed to delay the vote until next Tuesday, so citizens could review and comment on some new documents that have surfaced over the past few weeks.

The supes must approve the EIR if the controversial project is to keep moving forward. Most businesses and real estate interests would like to see the closed military airport converted into a commercial facility that would serve more than 18 million passengers annually, create thousands of new jobs and millions in annual tax revenue. It would also alleviate congestion at John Wayne International Airport in Irvine—currently the county’s only commercial airport–and the giant LA International Airport to the north.

Opponents of the plan say such a conversion would create more traffic and foul the air. They have proposed a handful of alternatives, the most popular of which would turn most of the old base into a giant park.