June Casagrande
In what could become the city's biggest undertaking ever, local
officials on Friday said they will consider whether the city should
play a role in a host of county services, which could result in John
Wayne Airport's being moved from county to city control.
The City Council on Tuesday will consider a list of
recommendations from the city's Airport Policy Review Committee,
including creating a "Sphere Issues Committee" to examine a four-part
plan.
That committee would try to open talks with county leaders on
roles the city could play in matters city leaders say directly touch
Newport Beach's borders -- including Back Bay tidelands, the Coyote
Canyon Landfill and the sheriff's Harbor Patrol. But one item on
their list -- John Wayne Airport -- could prove to have the most
significant implications for the city and the region for decades to
come.
"We don't want to control John Wayne Airport," Mayor Steve
Bromberg said. "But we definitely want to have a say in it."
Bromberg, City Atty. Bob Burnham and City Manager Homer Bludau all
conceded the proposal could pave the way for the city to take over
airport operations.
The John Wayne Airport Settlement Agreement limits flights and
growth at the airport through 2015, but a direct hand in managing the
airport could protect the city's interests for years to come, they
said.
City officials emphasized, however, that at this point all they
would do was ask county leaders to sit down and talk.
County Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom Wilson, who represents
part of Newport Coast, said that he would be willing to hear what the
city has to say.
"It's not bad to sit down and start talking now, because 2015 will
be here before you know it," Wilson said.
Supervisor Jim Silva, who represents Newport Beach, also said he's
willing to talk with city leaders, but stopped short of saying
whether he felt it was appropriate for a city to play a role in the
airport.
"When you come to the airport, I have some major reservations and
concerns," Silva said. "Orange County's airport is probably one of
the best-managed airports in the nation, and we need to ensure that
quality."
Airport Working Group member Rick Taylor said the possibility
raised several concerns.
He said he worried that the city might have to compromise some
limits on future airport growth in exchange for control.
"It could be a bad thing, it could be a good thing," Taylor said.
"We'll just have to wait and see."
Taylor, also a member of the city's Greenlight Committee, said he
