3 Groups Court Point Man for El Toro : Conversion: Dave Larson, assigned to help with Marine base plans by federal government, will come here Sept. 21 to meet with officials from each faction.

The most sought-after man in Orange County political circles these days may not be a household name, nor is he even a politician.

His name is Dave Larson, a Navy captain and the Department of Defense’s point man assigned to help the county plan for the conversion of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to civilian use.

And like bees to honey, three separate groups of county officials have swarmed to Larson, seeking his advice and support for control of the 4,700-acre base.

Each of the three groups vying for a leadership role--the Orange County government, the Orange County Regional Airport Authority, which is made up of three North County cities, and South County cities closest to the base--have scheduled meetings this month with Larson to state their cases.

And hoping to maintain the federal government’s neutrality in this power grab over what is expected to be one of the county’s largest redevelopment projects, Larson said Wednesday he will travel to the county on Sept. 21 to meet with all three groups.

But ultimately, he warned, nothing can be accomplished and federal planning grants will not be awarded until all sides come together under one planning group.

“It would make sense for the Orange County (Board of Supervisors to) take the lead, because much of El Toro is in the unincorporated land of Orange County,” Larson said. “But we are not in a position to pick and choose. . . . Our desire is not to be in the middle of things. We are trying to help (plan the base’s future), not be an arbitrator.”

Irvine Councilman Barry J. Hammond challenged Larson’s contention that the county would have land use authority, because 300 acres of the base are in Irvine’s city limits and the remainder is in the city’s sphere of influence. Irvine is studying whether to make a “hostile annexation” attempt against the county.

“We don’t know what might happen if there’s annexation before the base closes,” Hammond said.

South County cities want to meet with Larson, Hammond added, to update him on their plans to form an agency that would include all 31 Orange County cities and the county government, if it chooses to join. South County cities--opposed to efforts to convert the base to a regional airport--have promised to study all redevelopment options.

The pro-airport group representing Garden Grove, Los Alamitos and Stanton has also asked for a briefing from Larson as part of an effort to remain involved in the base conversion process.

But during a meeting Wednesday that included representatives from Anaheim and Yorba Linda, the pro-airport group said it may be willing to join the South County cities on a planning committee if all development plans, including an airport, are considered.

Interim chairman of the airport authority, Garden Grove Councilman Mark Leyes, has already proposed a 32-member planning group similar to what South County is considering and has offered to drop “airport” from the group’s name.

Proceeding with their own plans, county officials have also asked Larson to meet with an advisory panel. South County officials invited to attend already told the Defense Department they would not participate in the county’s plan.

But County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider said Larson’s visit to Orange County this month will show him that the county is in a better position to take the lead, since the South and North county cities are split on the airport issue.

Larson, Schneider added, “is going to realize there’s no consensus” on the airport issue and the county is the only “objective, non-prejudiced group.”

Meanwhile, Orange County’s congressional representatives said Wednesday that federal officials should stay out of the El Toro debate, insisting that the redevelopment issues should be decided solely at the local level.

“I don’t want to see the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, the (Federal Aviation Administration) or any other federal agency controlling those land use planning decisions in Orange County,” said Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach).

Speaking to a luncheon audience of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday, Cox and fellow Republican Reps. Robert K. Dornan of Garden Grove, Jay C. Kim of Diamond Bar, Dana Rohrabacher of Huntington Beach and Ed Royce of Fullerton avoided taking sides with any of the local competing groups. Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside) did not attend.

Rohrabacher was the only one to state a position on how the base should be used, reiterating his support for a commercial airport because it will boost the economy.