BURBANK'S, AIRPORT'S PEACE ACCORD UNRAVELS.Byline: Lee Condon Staff Writer Only 2 months old, a peace accord between Burbank and Burbank Airport over the proposed airport expansion has come under attack from all sides. A residents group is petitioning to ask voters whether to kill the deal. The Los Angeles city attorney The Los Angeles City Attorney is an elected official whose job is to prosecute all of the misdemeanor criminal offenses within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. has threatened to sue for a new environmental impact report. A trio of local congressmen has asked the Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control to kill the deal because they want air traffic directed east instead of west over their constituents. And airline officials want the FAA to kill the deal because of a terminal closure plan they have dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. a de facto [Latin, In fact.] In fact, in deed, actually. This phrase is used to characterize an officer, a government, a past action, or a state of affairs that must be accepted for all practical purposes, but is illegal or illegitimate. curfew curfew [O.Fr.,=cover fire], originally a signal, such as the ringing of a bell, to damp the fire, extinguish all lights in the dwelling, and retire for the night. The custom originated as a precaution against fires and was common throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. for flights. FAA officials have warned that some parts of the deal may violate federal law. ``There isn't a piece of this agreement that someone doesn't (dis)like,'' said Burbank's exasperated Mayor Stacey Murphy, who spent weeks in intense talks with airport officials crafting the deal. She appealed for patience and cooperation from the array of critics. ``I hope they would be open enough to sit down and talk to us before they file lawsuits. I didn't expect this,'' she said. Howard Rothenbach, one of the leaders of the initiative drive, said all of the stakeholders Stakeholders All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government. , Burbank residents, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. residents, Los Angeles politicians and the airlines should have been at the table in the negotiations between Burbank and airport officials. ``It should come as no surprise that everyone who was locked out of the deal is upset. They were behind closed doors saying they weren't negotiating, but they were,'' Rothenbach said. ``Suddenly they came out with a deal that people didn't have any input into.'' Window of opportunity To both Burbank city officials and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, the time had come to make peace. After fighting out 12 separate legal battles in court since late 1995, resolution was in sight. The Court of Appeals ruled in May the city had the right to veto both the airport's purchase of land for a new terminal and the expansion plan itself. That decision gave the city new leverage in demanding its long-sought curfew on flights from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. In April, a new majority was elected to the Glendale City Council, which told its appointees to the airport authority to be more sympathetic to Burbank's complaints about jet noise and came out in support of the curfew. At the same time, the airport faced losing its chance to buy 130 acres of Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. land for its new terminal building just east of the current airport terminal. The Court of Appeals found the airport needed city approval before buying the land, which allowed the city to exert more control. The result was a framework deal: The airport could move its terminal and add 160,000 square feet of space, but build only 14 gates, the same number at the current terminal. To build up to 16 gates, a curfew must be established. The Burbank City Council is not expected to take a final vote on the airport's application until April 2000. Murphy insists she got the best deal possible for the city of Burbank. ``I wouldn't settle for anything less. I thought it was a good compromise. It's a 14-gate replacement terminal that is safer and yet is bigger. But it's not that much bigger, and they can only get more gates if they get a curfew,'' Murphy said. No curfew, no expansion Burbank spent $7 million on a legal battle with Burbank Airport in pursuit of some form of control over the airport expansion. But the big prize they sought was a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew, seen as the best way to give their angry citizens a good night's sleep. But in the deal they reached, Phase 1 has no curfew. The curfew only kicks in if the airport secures permission for the restriction from the FAA. The citizens who are pushing the ballot initiative call their group Restore Our Airport Rights. Former City Council Ted McConkey said their initiative is simple. It would make any airport expansion contingent on Adj. 1. contingent on - determined by conditions or circumstances that follow; "arms sales contingent on the approval of congress" contingent upon, dependant on, dependant upon, dependent on, dependent upon, depending on, contingent the curfew and a cap on the number of flights coming in and out. ``It's no curfew, no caps, no expansion,'' McConkey said. Rothenbach said the city has betrayed residents who supported their legal war against the airport. ``They negotiated away their promises that there would be no expansion without a curfew,'' Rothenbach said. ``Now they are trying to convince us building twice as much square feet is not an expansion.'' Geography and politics An expanded Burbank Airport would affect communities outside of Burbank, a fact that is driving new opposition from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Rep. Howard Berman Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). , D-Mission Hills, and other politicians say they want the airport deal to lift the ban on eastern takeoffs to relieve the burden shouldered by communities to the west, Studio City, North Hollywood, Sunland and Tujunga. They say too many flights now go over those neighborhoods and that in the name of fairness, some of the burden should be shifted to the east. But Burbank's attorney for airport issues, Peter Kirsch kirsch n. A colorless brandy made from the fermented juice of cherries. [French, short for German Kirschwasser; see kirschwasser. , said the city of Los Angeles
Now it has no representation on the airport authority, but Kirsch said, ``Our job is convincing them it's better for them to have this deal than not to have this deal.'' Los Angeles City Attorney James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California , a likely candidate for mayor, is joining the battle. Hahn threatened to sue Burbank and the airport if a new environmental impact report is not conducted to address eastern takeoffs. Los Angeles Councilman Joel Wachs Joel Wachs served for several terms as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 2nd district. He was first elected by defeating incumbent James B. Potter. While in office, Wachs chaired the Public Works Committee and vice-chair of the Environmental Quality & Waste Management , also planning a mayoral bid, joined supporters of eastern takeoffs, and Councilman Mike Feuer, who plans to run for city attorney, called for talks between Los Angeles and Burbank on the eastern takeoffs issue. For Burbank and Glendale politicians, the issue is not simple. Those representing the western side of the airport want eastern takeoffs, while those on the east oppose them regardless of how much they may usually disagree. Rep. James Rogan, R-Pasadena, and his challenger for the congressional seat, Sen. Adam Schiff
Adam B. Schiff (born June 20 1960) is an American politician. He first served in the California State Senate. , D-Pasadena, oppose eastern takeoffs. They cite the opposition of the Airline Pilots Association, which is concerned about eastern takeoffs because of the proximity of the San Gabriel Mountains San Gabriel Mountains, S Calif., E and NE of Los Angeles, running c.50 mi (80 km) westward from Cajon Pass. San Antonio Peak (10,080 ft/3,072 m) is the highest of the range. Citrus fruits are raised on the southern foothills. to the east-west runway and incoming traffic headed toward LAX. Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. Scott Wildman Scott Wildman was a California State Assemblyman from 1996 until 2000. That year, he lost a State Senate primary to Dr. Jack Scott, an Assemblyman from a neighboring district. Wildman received 46.7% of the vote. , D-Glendale, also opposes the eastern takeoffs, but he foresees other problems. ``I myself don't think the terminal should be expanded. Without a curfew, Burbank citizens are not going to accept this expansion,'' Wildman said. Officials expect delayed vote on airport expansion Burbank city officials now expect to delay a vote on the airport expansion deal from November to April 2000. The Burbank City Council may place an advisory question on the ballot asking residents if they support the proposal. A citizens group is expected to start collecting petition signatures this week for an initiative that would kill any expansion that does not include a curfew and cap on flights. They have six months to collect the signature but hope to force a special election on the issue before the council takes a final vote. The race is on. Burbank's schedule: Oct. 5 - City Council considers hiring consultant to study traffic impacts of expansion. Nov. 1 - Airport's second installment of application due. Early November - Town Hall meeting on airport issues. Dec. 1 - Traffic study due. Dec. 9 - City staff recommends conditions for approval of project. Jan. 13 - Draft Development Agreement due. Feb. 14 - Staff issues preliminary analysis of expansion plan. March 16 - Public information meeting held on Redevelopment Plan Amendment. March 20 - Planning board Noun 1. planning board - a board appointed to advise the chief administrator advisory board governance, governing body, organisation, administration, brass, establishment, organization - the persons (or committees or departments etc. meeting April 18 - City Council and Redevelopment Agency hold joint hearing to consider approval of expansion plan. April 25 - Final approval considered. CAPTION(S): Box Box: Officials expect delayed vote on airport expansion (See text) |
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