LAX PROPOSAL IS CRITICIZED AT PUBLIC HEARING.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Mayor James Hahn's $9.1 billion plan for modernizing LAX faced renewed criticism Monday at a public hearing, where officials and residents expressed skepticism about its growth limits and whether it would meet security needs.

The scheduled six-hour joint hearing of the Airport Commission and Planning Commission at the Los Angeles Convention Center served as a forum for a handful of supporters - many wearing yellow T-shirts with ``Fix LAX Now'' in red letters - urging adoption of the plan.

Jim Ritchie, deputy executive director of the Airport Department, said the plan - which would create an off-site passenger and baggage screening site and cap passenger growth at 78 million passengers a year - represented the best hope of bringing various groups together to improve Los Angeles International Airport.

``A great city needs and deserves a great airport,'' Ritchie told the panels, which are scheduled to vote on the report on June 14. It then will be sent to city and county planners and the City Council for consideration.

However, Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski urged the panels to adopt her alternate proposal to tighten development efforts at the airport.

``I call it the green-light, yellow-light approach,'' said Miscikowski, whose district includes LAX. ``We green light the projects where there is consensus and we slow down and take a look at the rest of the plan.''

Miscikowski said she wants to see limits imposed through a specific-plan process, giving the City Council final say over how the project proceeds.

Representatives of federal, state and county officials, along with neighboring jurisdictions, called on the city to slow down its present process.

Mike Gordon, former mayor of El Segundo, who has launched a petition drive against the plan, said he would like to see a binding agreement between Los Angeles and others cities to limit growth and look at a regional approach.

``We are ready and willing to partner with the city of Los Angeles and all of Southern California to find a viable alternative,'' Gordon said.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com