Why Not Make Nice With Irvine?

A few months back, Newport Beach's City Manager Homer Bludau warned the Newport Beach City Council that:

“We are entering a new era of cooperation with the city of Costa Mesa, and it would be the wrong thing to do to foster that relationship,”

Homer was talking about annexing West Santa Ana Heights.

Also, Newport Beach needs to keep Costa Mesa happy, especially since they are also against any expansion of John Wayne Airport.

So, Homer might be right.

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa need to remain chummy.

But what about Irvine?

Not too long ago, Irvine went to war with Newport Beach about the El Toro International Airport.

Irvine won, and Newport Beach is still licking it's wounds.

So when Irvine started going development crazy, our Newport Beach City Council (along with Tustin's), spearheaded by Councilmember Leslie Daigle, decided to sue the City of Irvine to have them stop.

Well (see here and here) we won, Irvine lost, and Irvine's Development (and extra Development related income) have stopped, for now.

...adding another chapter to the animosity between Irvine and Newport Beach.

Now, I understand why Newport Beach did this. The added traffic and environment concerns from the new Developments would adversely affect Newport Beach.

But what would be worse for Newport Beach, more traffic or an International Airport at John Wayne?

Irvine needs to be on our side regarding the expansion of John Wayne right?

Logically, if Irvine got to build up residential towers around their part of John Wayne Airport, wouldn't they, in the best interest of their newest residents, not want John Wayne to expand too?

But since those Developments have been stopped...

In order to get an ally for our John Wayne expansion fight, our Newport Beach City Council made their best effort NOT to completely piss off Costa Mesa...too much, but,

Our Newport Beach City Council continue to do everything they can TO piss off Irvine.

Fighting Irvine over extra traffic for Developments (which I was told had slowed down anyway because of the housing slowdown), furthering the animosity with Irvine, and possibly jeopardizing a joint Anti-John Wayne Airport expansion front is very short sighted.

Doing everything to foster a "New Era of Cooperation" with Irvine, like we are nurturing with Costa Mesa, should be the agenda, not gloating over winning a lawsuit.

As Leslie Daigle says,

"We look forward to working with Irvine to resolve the planning issues that will benefit both communities,"

How about looking forward to working with Irvine to stop the expansion of John Wayne Airport?