MEASURE A FIGHT GROWS; FIRM HIRED CITY GETS 'STRATEGIC' P.R. HELP.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

BURBANK - The city's legal challenge of voter-approved Measure A is expanding beyond the courtroom, and soon will be fought on the public relations front, as well.

The law firm that handles Burbank's airport matters has retained Laguna Hills-based Laer Pearce & Associates for what it calls ``strategic communications.''

Attorney Peter J. Kirsch said Wednesday that Laer Pearce would advise city officials on what legal strategies should be shared with the public and what should remain confidential.

``One of the things we have learned is there is a tremendous amount of isinformation circulating about all of the airport issues,'' he said. ``The City Council believes it is important for the public to be better informed than they have in the past.''

Measure A requires the city to obtain an overnight curfew and a cap on the number of flights before consenting to any new passenger terminal plans at Burbank Airport.

But city officials believe it contains vague language and illegal provisions, and filed suit challenging its constitutionality.

From the beginning, the case has been awkward for city officials because it appeared to many that City Hall was fighting the will of the voters.

The case has gotten progressively more awkward with the City Council deciding to pay up to $100,000 in legal fees for a third party - community activist Mike Noland - to intervene in the suit and argue in support of Measure A.

The defendant in the case, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, has declined to defend the initiative in court because it agrees with the city that the measure is flawed.

``It's a complicated issue for council members who are involved on a regular basis,'' said Mayor David Laurell. ``If our residents are confused about things, that's completely understandable.

``I think we have a moral obligation to try to help our residents to understand why we are spending millions on litigation, why it takes seemingly so long to get things accomplished.''

According to a March 5 city staff report, Burbank has spent $10.4 million on airport-related litigation since the mid-1990s and has about $3.7 million left in the airport fund.

Howard Rothenbach, chairman of Restore Our Airport Rights, the grass-roots group that put Measure A on the ballot, is worried that ``strategic communication'' will translate into well-packaged political propaganda.

``How do we know they are not going to be printing some kind of official-looking stuff with the city's seal on it? It may have distortions and misrepresentations, deliberate or otherwise,'' he said.

Rothenbach said his organization has little means to launch a countercampaign, other than to speak at council meetings and write op-ed pieces to the newspapers.

City officials insist Laer Pearce was retained in order to get the facts out, not to influence political opinions.

``I hear a lot of misconceptions constantly,'' said Councilwoman Marsha Ramos. ``We really need to work on strategically communicating messages.''

Saying they are still finalizing plans, city officials would not disclose what work Laer Pearce would do or how much it would be paid.

Former Councilman Ted McConkey, a longtime critic of City Hall, decried the lack of information.

``We don't know what they are going to do. They don't have a fee schedule. We don't know what they are going to be paid,'' he said. ``All we know is it is going to be confidential.''

Dios Marrero, executive director of the Airport Authority, said neither his agency nor its legal counsel has retained a public relations firm, and that the agency has no position on the hiring of Laer Pearce.