Editorial

As first steps go, this one was as about important as it gets.

For years, we worried that Newport Beach officials and local airport

watchdogs were spending all their time lobbying for a new county airport

at El Toro at the risk of seeing the grains of sand tumble through the

John Wayne Airport flight extension hour glass.

That all changed about one year ago, when the City Council veered off

that dangerous course and put many hours into securing a new agreement

that would allow for some minor growth in the flight caps and at John

Wayne itself while keeping the restrictions solidly in place.

The new plan, which will be in effect until 2015, calls for a boost in

annual passengers from the current 8.3 million level to 9.8 million.

Further, cargo flights will go from two to four, noisy flights from 73 to

85 and the number of airport gates from 14 to 18.

Added to the complexity of this proposal was timing.

City officials knew they needed to complete the deal with the county

before the Great Park measure vote Tuesday, which could in effect kill

the promise and dream of an El Toro airport.

They made it with one week to spare.

This political maneuvering was critical because with the supervisors

now signed on to this new agreement, known as Scenario 1, the county will

be stopped from pushing for any major expansion of John Wayne if indeed

El Toro is placed in peril after Tuesday’s election.

With the county aboard, the next steps involve garnering support from

the Airport Working Group and Stop Polluting Our Newport, two groups who

along with the city and county were signatories to the historic 1985

settlement agreement that put the original flight caps in place.

There is every indication that will happen.

We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate city officials for

working so stridently on behalf of their residents to get this deal

brokered. The residents were truly served by these actions.