Supervisors, council extend JWA limits

Paul Clinton

SANTA ANA -- By extending noise restrictions at John Wayne Airport

until at least 2015 on Tuesday, Newport Beach and county officials capped

a more-than-yearlong effort to limit the amount of jet noise over

Newport-Mesa homes.

At its morning meeting Tuesday, the five Orange County supervisors

unanimously approved an extension of a 1985 settlement agreement that

installed the historic restrictions.

Beginning in 2003, three years before the 1985 agreement was set to

expire, a new set of rules will take effect. The airport’s mandatory

nighttime curfew, meanwhile, was extended until the end of 2020.

Supervisors said they endorsed a modest expansion of the airport as a

concession to airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration.

A powerful airline industry trade group has criticized the deal as

“fatally flawed” and out of line with federal laws on limits to the

national air traffic system.

“We appear to be making significant concessions up front,” Supervisor

Todd Spitzer said. “We need the FAA’s cooperation. We need Congress’

cooperation. I feel very comfortable we’ll get it.”

The Newport Beach City Council also unanimously approved the

settlement extension at its Tuesday evening meeting. Councilwoman Norma

Glover spoke out at the board meeting earlier in the day, again endorsing

a package of flight limits her city initially proposed.

Now that the agreement has been approved, Glover said the city and

county can begin lobbying efforts and “can lock arms and go to

Washington, D.C., as one.”

Newport Beach officials have already hired a handful of lobbyists to

help pitch the deal to influential members of Congress, the FAA and the

airline industry.

On Tuesday evening, council members reiterated the importance of the

deal to ensure peace of mind for residents past Dec. 31, 2005.

“This is probably the single-most important issue that has faced the

city and will continue to face our quality of life,” said Councilman

Dennis O’Neil. “If the lid comes off John Wayne Airport, we’re all in a

heap of trouble.”

The new restrictions, expected to increase the number of planes flying

out of the airport, would raise the limit on the noisiest flights from 73

to 85, flight gates from 14 to 18, an annual passenger cap from 8.4

million to 9.8 million and cargo flights from two to four.

A curfew put in place in the late 1960s would also be extended.

Supervisors can’t alter the curfew until January 2021.

Under the curfew, departures are allowed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday

through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Arrivals are allowed from

7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.

Extending the flight limits at the airport caused little controversy

during the year in which city leaders worked with their Orange County

neighbors to build support.

“The path up until now has been smooth because the city of Newport

Beach incorrectly dropped out of the El Toro [airport] fight,” said

Barbara Lichman, the executive director of the Airport Working Group.

“It’s a wonderful thing. It’s great symbolism.”

Two longtime activist groups instrumental in securing the initial

settlement agreement have also signed their names to the extension. The

Airport Working Group and Stop Polluting Our Newport are both on board.

South County cities have also lent their support to the deal. Laguna

Hills Councilman Allan Songstad urged the board to support the deal

publicly.

In her remarks to supervisors on Tuesday, Costa Mesa Mayor Linda Dixon

also conjured up the El Toro ghosts when she said she supported the deal,

but challenged the county to address growing travel demand in the

not-so-distant future.

“John Wayne Airport is not now, nor will it ever be, the long-term

answer to transportation needs,” Dixon said. “It would be wrong to assume

that future demand should be put on future residents.”

County residents doused plans to build an airport at the closed El

Toro Marine Corps Air Station when they approved Measure W and a “Great

Park” concept for the base on March 5.

* Paul Clinton covers the environment, John Wayne Airport and

politics. He may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

[email protected] .

* June Casagrande contributed to this report.