Orange County, CA November 3, 1998 General
Smart Voter

No International Airport at El Toro

By Jack W Wu

Candidate for Member, City Council; City of Irvine

This information is provided by the candidate
An International Airport at El Toro would forever destroy the way of life Irvine citizens have grown accustomed to.
Think of a nice area around an international airport. Picture the El Toro International Airport right amidst established residential communities. Difficult right? Impossible. Regardless of how different the pro-airport people think an El Toro International Airport could be from LAX, they are mistaken. Home values will drop, crime will increase, billboards will arise, and traffic will increase. In the already heavily impacted El Toro Y, traffic will become impossible, regardless of the road improvements. When I think of LAX, all I can picture is the billboard, right when you get off the freeway that declares, "Nudes, Nudes, Nudes." No amount of proposed open space will change that sign. The traveling public will demand it, they will expect it. The high demand for a strip club was so high near John Wayne meant that "Mermaids" was able to thrive until Newport Beach was finally able to shut it down, but only after years of expensive legal battles.

Will an airport bring money to the area? Sure. Will there be more jobs? Sure. But while the OC Supervisors are at it, why not suggest a large, Vegas-esque casino. A casino would probably bring in more money, bring more jobs. Would North O.C. approve legalized gambling there? I don't think so. Would the deep pockets in Newport Beach approve it? Maybe, but actually, probably not. And having a casino there wouldn't destroy the area nearly as badly as an airport would. A casino doesn't cause the pollution the airport will. Not that I'm suggesting a casino. Far from it, but if it's silly to consider a giant casino, an airport is even sillier.

The Millenium Plan? Great idea, except for one aspect of it, which will be discussed later. But much better than the airport. If an airport is built there, the way of life we expect in Irvine will be gone.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 9, 1998 22:02
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