On Election Day, residents across the county headed for the polls, and, based on countywide results “” with the exception of the approximately 2,500 absentee/provisional ballots yet to be counted “” the majority of residents agreed that Miramar was not a suitable site for another regional airport. Sixty-two percent of voters said no and 38 percent yes to Proposition A, which asked if the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and government officials should work toward obtaining 3,000 acres at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar by 2020 for a commercial airport, providing certain conditions were met.
Precinct tallies from peninsula communities “” including Ocean Beach, Loma Portal, La Playa and Midway, which bear the brunt of noise pollution from the current airport at Lindbergh Field “” showed a much closer vote, with only 52 percent in favor of the proposition and 48 percent voting against it.
In contrast, the nearby communities of Pacific Beach and Mission Bay did not support the measure, with 58 percent of the vote against pursuing Miramar. Hillcrest, North Park and Centre City also opposed the proposition; 57 percent of voters said no.
La Jolla and University City voters came out in strong opposition to Prop A, with 72 percent of ballots cast against the measure and 28 percent in favor.
“We are pleased with the results of Prop A,” said MCAS Public Affairs Officer Maj. Jason Johnston. “We’re pleased that our efforts to inform the community about our strategic importance here and about why Miramar is so important to national security was heard and was understood by the local public.”
Johnston explained that because MCAS Miramar was not allowed to conduct its own opinion polls, the Marines were not sure that the election would turn out the way it did.
“I was happy with a lot of the preliminary discussions that were being had in the media,” he said. “But going into the election we honestly didn’t know.”
With the proposition’s failure, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority board is left in the difficult position of reviving discussion of already dismissed sites and a search for a new location that pleases all parties vested in the debate “” a site that eluded the board the first time around.
“First of all, the issue does not go away,” said Joe Craver, current chairman of the Airport Authority. “The issue is still here. The studies are still available; they are not going to be lost to the community. As far as where the Airport Authority goes from here, that basically is going to be up to the decision of the [new] board.”
The Airport Authority Board has, to date, spent $11,755,676.71 in technical studies and $3,569,924.99 in education and outreach programs.
Craver explained that he, Xema Jacobson, William Lynch, Bob Maxwell and Lemon Grove Mayor Mary Sessom have completed their terms of service on the board as of Dec. 4.
A nine-member board governs the Airport Authority with three paid members “” appointed by the governor, sheriff of San Diego County and the mayor of San Diego, respectively “” serving as the executive committee. Craver was appointed by former Mayor Dick Murphy for a four-year term. Mayor Jerry Sanders recently announced his appointment of Alan Bersin, who resigned as Secretary of Education effective Dec. 15, to fill the board position.
According to Pam Hardy, communications director for Council President Scott Peters, Bersin will not be on the agenda for confirmation until January after legislative recess concludes.
Jacobson was appointed by former Gov. Gray Davis. According to Craver, she has expressed to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that she would like to continue on the board. It is not yet known whom Schwarzenegger will appoint. However, his appointee will be sworn into office without confirmation from the State Senate due to its lengthy legislative recess, according to Craver.
Lynch was appointed by San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender, and according to Craver, Lynch had no desire to be reappointed. On Tuesday, Nov. 21, Kolender announced his appointment of Robert J. Watkins, president and chairman of the R.J. Watkins & Company, Ltd. Watkins will replace Lynch on the board pending confirmation by the County Board of Supervisors.
Former City of Oceanside Mayor Terry W. Johnson appointed Maxwell to the board in 2004 for a two-year term. The mayors of East San Diego County appointed Sessom to the board in 2002 for a four-year term. Neither Maxwell nor Sessom is up for reappointment and will be replaced by someone from the private sector, according to Craver.
Board members Paul Neito, Paul Peterson, City of Vista Mayor Morris Vance, District 4 City Councilman Tony Young and President/CEO of the Airport Authority Thella Bowens will remain on the board.
Once the new board and executive committee are sworn in, they will elect a new chairman and restructure committees, Craver said.
“I can see almost the whole month of December going through the necessary steps to be able to get the board ready to start to function,” Craver said, noting that this would require the unlikely swearing in of all new members by Dec. 5. “They probably wouldn’t be able to have their really first meeting with a new chair until early January.”
The new board will then tackle their unfinished business, including addressing the defeat of Prop A, possibly looking for new sites to study or going back to previous areas of study. The board will also look their master plan for improvements at Lindbergh Field and the completion of land-use compatibility plans, which could restrict development in the areas surrounding every civil and military airport in the county.
While the defeat of Prop A means no more discussion at Miramar, the Marines are not resting easy.
“We expect that this debate will continue in some form or the other,” Johnston said. “We are constantly aware of if an organization’s wanting to use this land, but we’re going to continue our efforts of ensuring the public know why this land here at Miramar is so vital to us and to national security. So it’s not as if we’re going to stop our efforts simply because the vote failed, and that’s really part of our responsibility. In fact, we’re required to inform the public as to why we do what we do.”