"Editorial: Course correction for San Diego airport authority"

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Editorial
Course correction for airport authority 
By North County Times Opinion staff
The San Diego (CA) North County Times


Our view: Kehoe's bill must maintain North County's influence on board,
jettison big salaries

State Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, has introduced legislation to
remake the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. In the wake of
voters' rejection of Miramar as an airport site last November, we agree that
it's time to make some needed changes at the authority. Our hope is that
these reforms will be made with regional equity and future needs in mind.

Overhauling the airport authority shouldn't be perceived as punishment for
the failed Miramar vote. The authority was given the nearly impossible task
of finding a site for a new airport in a county with few realistic options
for one -- all under a tight deadline. It fulfilled that legislative mandate
as well as could be expected. The authority has also done a reasonably good
job of managing day-to-day operations at Lindbergh Field. Most of the board
is new and deserve a clean slate. It has wisely reacted to November's
election by concentrating on getting the most out of our existing airport.
 
Strange structure on board

That said, the board's composition has a few oddities. Of the board's nine
members, six are appointed by area mayors on a regional basis, with former
Carlsbad Councilwoman Ramona Finnila representing coastal North County and
Jim Desmond, mayor of San Marcos, representing inland North County.

However, three executive members -- Alan Bersin, Robert Watkins and Charlene
Zettel -- are appointed by the mayor of San Diego, the sheriff and the
governor, respectively. If you're wondering why the sheriff gets a pick, so
are we. What's more, these three appointed members, who have no extra duties
or responsibilities, each earn $170,000 annually, compared to the $100 per
meeting earned by their peers on the board.

As proposed, Kehoe's Senate Bill 10 would eliminate the six-figure sinecures
and require all board members to be elected officials. Those are sensible
improvements.

It's in refashioning the board that the Kehoe bill hits turbulence. It
reduces the number of board members from nine to seven. That's fine, but not
if doing so favors the city of San Diego at our expense. As written, Kehoe's
bill would strip influence from North County by lumping together the inland
cities of San Marcos, Escondido and Poway with East County cities like El
Cajon and Santee.

We're glad to hear Kehoe is planning to modify her bill so that North County
will keep two distinct members on the board.

Coordination may be key

The bill would also return land-use authority for the region's airports to
the San Diego Association of Governments. If the idea of a new, bigger
regional airport won't fly, the region's existing small airports, such as
Carlsbad's McClellan-Palomar Airport, will likely be needed to accommodate
shorter routes on smaller planes. Rather than constricting the airport
authority's power, perhaps it should be expanded to include not only
land-use planning but some coordination of the region's multiple city- and
county-operated airports, as well.

Now it's up to the authority to pass on its recommended changes to Kehoe for
her consideration. We hope that all those involved in this process will also
give some thought to regional aviation needs that cannot be adequately
addressed if the authority's jurisdiction stops at the end of Lindbergh's
runways.

The Big Idea behind the airport authority's creation -- finding a new home
for a regional airport -- has been grounded for the foreseeable future.
We're pleased to see the board focus on many smaller changes to maximize
Lindbergh's potential. And we hope Kehoe's bill, with some minor revisions
of its own, will help the airport authority do what promises to be an
increasingly important job.

Click or paste the link to listen to the audio:

To listen to the North County Times' April 10 editorial board meeting with
members of the airport authority, click on 
Airport Authority
http://www.nctimes.com/audio/airport0407/radio.html

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