Control talks closer to pact

Alicia Robinson

After more than four years of talking about it, Newport Beach leaders

and Orange County supervisors are inching closer to agreements that

would give the city more control in a number of areas.

The centerpiece of the cooperative venture would be a joint-powers

agreement between the city and county governing John Wayne Airport.

The airport now operates under a legal settlement agreement that

has four parties -- the city and county and local activist groups

Stop Polluting Our Newport and the Airport Working Group. The airline

industry and the Federal Aviation Administration also have played a

role in airport negotiations.

The City Council heard an update Tuesday on talks with the county

about the airport and four other so-called “sphere issues.”

By having the city take over some of the airport’s functions, the

county hopes to save money, while the city wants more control over

activities along its borders.

The advantage of a joint-powers agreement for the airport is “we

have the right to approve any change in the curfews or the expansion

of the airport, purchasing of land in either Newport or Costa Mesa,

changing the footprint,” Newport Beach Councilman Tod Ridgeway said.

“It’s just another layer of protection.”

If a joint-powers agreement is created, the other parties to the

settlement agreement would not be involved. A joint-powers agreement

could also be renewed automatically rather than having to be

renegotiated, Ridgeway said.

Airport Working Group Vice President Richard Taylor said the city

hasn’t kept him informed on the progress of the airport talks, and he

was wary of tinkering with the settlement agreement that’s now in

place. It limits flights and caps passenger levels at John Wayne

Airport through 2015.

“Whether or not a joint-powers agreement is a good idea remains to

be seen,” Taylor said. “It’s like mixing apples and oranges, and I’m

not sure it works.”

Newport Beach is also interested in taking over the Santa Ana

Heights Redevelopment Agency, which assesses fees to homeowners in

Santa Ana Heights and spends the money on improvements in the

redevelopment area.

The county handles the redevelopment funds but may want to rid

itself of this responsibility. And taking over the redevelopment role

could bring the city closer to annexing unincorporated West Santa Ana

Heights.

And Newport Beach has its eye on the closed Coyote Canyon

landfill, which generates methane used to produce electricity; five

county-owned parks and parts of Buck Gully and two canyons; and the

Upper Newport Bay and some county-owned tidelands.

The advantage to the county in all this is the chance to shift

some of its financial responsibilities to the city, though to the

city, the monetary burden is basically a wash.

“They’re looking at providing the county with some financial

relief,” Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva said. “My objective would

be to allow Newport Beach to have a seat at the table in regards to

the future of John Wayne [Airport].”

Silva was not sure how long it will be until the discussions are

formalized into agreements.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at alicia.robinson

@latimes.com.