In article .com,
wrote:
So what's up with John Wayne departure control? I seem to remember
having to talk to them for a bit between John Wayne tower and SOCAL
approach/departure control (on a different flight, though, seem to
remember being VFR then). Are they running a mini-approach control
from within the tower there? Is that the future of the system: after
consolidating all the TRACONs into big super-approach controls, small
individual approach controls will sprout up again from each tower?

Every time I've departed SNA, either IFR or VFR, I've always been
handed off first to John Wayne departure, and then to SoCal. I'm
not based out of SNA, so I don't know the details, but it's been that
way for the past 7 or so years that I've been flying in and out of there
(about 3-4 times per year). It does seem a bit strange though, doesn't it.
It's like there is an extra layer in the ATC system.

-- Dane