Wilson hosting public meeting on El Toro

Jasmine Lee

Supervisor Tom Wilson is inviting his constituents to join him

Wednesday in a discussion of the proposed El Toro airport and Measure F

-- two issues that have divided his district.

The public meeting, which Wilson is calling a “millenniumcelebration,”

will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Leisure World clubhouse, through

Gate 12 on Moulton Parkway just north of El Toro Road in Laguna Woods.

The featured speakers will be Laguna Woods Mayor Bert Hack and Bob

Ring, a specialist on Measure F -- a March 7 ballot initiative designed

to block the proposed airport.

Measure F, if passed, would require two-thirds approval from voters

before the county could build projects such as jails, hazardous waste

landfills and airports.

The county has proposed building a $2.9-billion international airport

at the closed El Toro Marine base. Many people in Newport Beach support

building a second Orange County airport, which could limit growth at the

500-acre John Wayne Airport.

Wilson, who represents Newport Beach and South County cities, is

opposed to the county’s airport plan and supports Measure F.

El Toro advocates who fear expansion at John Wayne have said that if

El Toro is not built, they will face the possibility of jet noise

encroaching upon Newport Beach homes and schools.