El Toro Initiatives Please Supervisors

A majority of Orange County supervisors said they are pleased about an effort to place three measures on the March ballot that could thwart an initiative aimed at halting plans for a commercial airport at El Toro.

Supervisors Cynthia Coad and Jim Silva said they are happy to see the proposal from Los Alamitos Councilman Ronald Bates and welcomed the formation of his pro-airport group.

The supervisors said they want to study the measures before deciding whether to place them on the ballot.

Board Chairman Charles V. Smith, who leads the pro-airport board majority, said he will place Bates’ two countermeasures and an advisory measure on the board’s Tuesday agenda for discussion.

The board also is expected to order an economic analysis of the anti-airport Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative, which qualified for the ballot earlier this month after collecting enough voter signatures.

Supervisors Todd Spitzer and Tom Wilson, who oppose the El Toro airport plans, were in Washington on Wednesday and couldn’t be reached for comment, but staff members said they do not support the countermeasures.

The Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative would require the approval of two-thirds of voters before county supervisors could build or expand airports, large jails near homes and hazardous-waste landfills.

One of the countermeasures would require--another would allow--the board to seek a majority public vote before approving jails and landfills--but not airports. The advisory vote would ask if the board should transfer airport planning and operations to a joint-powers authority formed by the county and cities.