Another Anti-Foley Diatribe

ANOTHER "SECOND HAND" BLAST AT FOLEY
A local blogger, who is intent on slamming Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley at every turn, has recently posted another jab at her, this time embedded in a critical diatribe about the activist organization, AirFair. As some may know, AirFair's role in life it to protect us from the expansion of John Wayne Airport - or whatever the official name is of that place that directs airplanes nearly over my house all day, every day. There's a link to that organization over on the right side of this page.

SINISTER SUPPORT SUSPECTED
The entry in question postulates that there is something sinister going on because AirFair seems to be supporting one Costa Mesa council member over others. Apparently, the author of the blog feels there is something suspicious about AirFair's support of Foley in her re-election bid and states flatly that "the airport issue is non-partisan and should remain that way."

JOHN WAYNE FUTURE SHOULD BE NON-PARTISAN
I agree - the airport issue is, and should be, a non-partisan issue. However, AirFair is certainly free to support council members who have demonstrated to them unwavering support for their goal of blocking any further expansion at John Wayne. Foley apparently meets that standard.

COSTA MESA'S HISTORY ON JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT ABYSMAL
The City of Costa Mesa has an abysmal history when it comes to fighting against expansion of John Wayne. A few years ago, when Libby Cowan was mayor, we missed a tremendous opportunity to rally in support of the use of El Toro as the logical choice to meet the growing demand for air transportation. I've said before, I thought Libby was trying to protect her job with the City of Irvine when she not only didn't provide leadership on the issue, but blocked every move proposed.

BEST SOLUTION GONE - DEMAND REMAINS
Now the demand remains but the perfect solution is gone and all we hear about these days is the impending demise of the agreement that currently restricts traffic at John Wayne and feeble mutterings about using surface transport to move travelers and cargo to outlying airports in the Inland Empire to quench the demand. Good luck with that!

TUNNELS BURIED?
At least the rants by those proposing a triple tunnel under Saddleback Peak to an airport on the other side of the mountain have died out - as has their web site. They were so darn passionate about that fiasco that I suspect they may have just, appropriately, gone underground and are continuing to work on it in the dark.

YET ANOTHER REASON TO VOTE FOR FOLEY
If Katrina Foley is, in fact, eager to lead the charge against further John Wayne Airport expansion, that gives us yet another reason among many to support her candidacy for re-election. An even better reason, however, is that she recognizes that blog author for what he is and doesn't take any of his guff. Unlike others on the council, she can't be controlled by that guy - as good a reason as any to vote for her in November.

Stop John Wayne Airport Expansion!

This morning the Daily Pilot published a commentary by Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley in which she announced that, at their meeting tomorrow evening, the Costa Mesa City Council will consider an anti-airport expansion resolution she is sponsoring. To read the text of her commentary click here.

I support Foley's view that any incursion by the John Wayne Airport into peripheral properties, such as the back nine holes on the Newport Golf Course or the site of the storage units on Bristol Street near the freeway, will only facilitate expansion of the airport beyond the current growth caps negotiated between the county and the City of Newport Beach.

Although I won't attempt to revive that dead horse, The El Toro Airport, it's worth noting that, instead of utilizing that former Marine flight facility as a commercial airport, the site will soon become home to the biggest boondoggle in Orange County history - The Great Park. The plans for this "park" include tens of thousands of homes, which will result in a population increase in that area of nearly 100,000 people! Many of those folks will certainly be air travelers, who will certainly avail themselves of John Wayne Airport.

If Costa Mesa does not join Newport Beach in their fight against airport expansion it is likely that very aggressive moves will be made to stretch the existing runways and/or to add one more to facilitate more flights. By stretching the runways the airport will be able to accommodate larger airplanes - the jumbo jets - none of which will be expected to go through the airborne gymnastics currently required of those commercial airliners flying from John Wayne. Nope, those big guys will fly straight toward the ocean without noise reduction requirements (throttling back) and maneuvering to fly down the Back Bay. When they begin to fly, the quality of life for those of us on the Westside of the Back Bay, including Newport Beach's Dover Shores and Costa Mesa's Eastside, will be significantly damaged. Our friends in Tustin, Orange and Villa Park will also suffer from the addition of the large airliners at John Wayne.

If John Wayne Airport is permitted to expand to handle the jumbo jets, like the Boeing 747-400 pictured here, for example, it will be catastrophic for our neighborhoods. That plane has a maximum take-off weight of nearly 900,000 pounds and holds around 60,000 gallons of fuel, according to the entry in Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.

I concur with Foley that it's important for our elected officials to go on record opposing any future expansion at John Wayne Airport. Past council's failure to act responsibly regarding El Toro abetted that perfect site being turned into a "park". We cannot afford to simply standby and watch this time around. I encourage you to let your city council know just how you feel. You can email them at this address: CMCouncil@ci.costa-mesa.ca.us. Further information can be found at the web site for the grass roots organization, Air Fair, at the link I've added to the right, just below Newport Beach.


It's time to wake up and speak up - or begin making plans for your children to suffer significant health problems as the increased jet traffic spews more effluent onto our neighborhoods and playgrounds. The clock is ticking.