Santa Monica Airport Report


By Martin Rubin

Homeowners: Rod Merl, Senior Administrative Analyst at Santa Monica Airport reports: “The primary change that has gone into effect as of January 1, 2004 is the additional notification on the state’s required real estate disclosure statement for potential buyers of property in an “airport influence” area.

AB 290 which was introduced in this state legislative session and will carry over to the next session, proposes to amend this requirement as of 2005 to suggest, unless a city or county adopts a contrary boundary, that a two-mile perimeter around an airport be the notice area boundary.”

Noise from SM Airport traffic:

Jet traffic at the airport for the month of January was up 7% from January of last year. There were “44” night arrivals between the hours of 11pm and 7am, of which, “21” registered on the noise monitors.

At the next SM Airport Commission meeting, Monday, March 22 at SM City Hall Council Chambers, the “Annual Noise Report” will be given by Vincent Mestre, noise specialist for the airport. There are those of us who feel that many noise impacts from aircraft operations at the airport are completely overlooked by the noise measuring methods now being used. One of many examples is the fact that the planes landing at the airport from the East, often avoid flying over the one noise monitor, placed near the top of a telephone pole, located on Sardis Ave., between Stoner and Granville. This gives a false reading of the actual noise event. If you want to voice your views, the March 22, 7:30pm meeting is the time to do it. Please attend, and bring all your ideas and suggestions. I know I will!

Request to know: As noted in last month’s update, I asked a series of questions regarding noise complaints to the airport and what good do they do. That, and the reply and the follow-up to the reply, are posted at the bottom of the Noise/Fume E-Complaint page at jetairpollution.com.

GRVNC-Conservation Committee-Airport Affairs Sub Committee: welcomes all to attend the next meeting, 7pm, Monday, March 8 at the Vera Davis McClendon Center, 610 California Ave. The meeting after this meeting will be 7pm, Monday, April 12, at the same location. Brainstorming ideas has been ongoing at these meetings. I recommend attending.

Summary of the February 23 SM Airport Commission meeting:

The Commission discussed, for the third straight meeting, possible changes to their present meeting agenda format. Several residents spoke in favor of changing the name of the “Noise Management” agenda item to the “Environmental Report.” Airport staff claimed this, “… might mislead the public to believe that staff conducts some sort of on-going air quality environmental investigation…” and that it could, “…create unreasonable expectations by the public…”

Vice chair Airport Commissioner Ofer Grossman, who was chairing the meeting due to the chairs absence, steadfastly argued in favor of the change, but the other Commissioners apparently liked the agenda format just as it is now, and no action was taken.

After more than six years of public input regarding our concerns with toxic emissions from jet aircraft operations at the airport, the city of Santa Monica and airport staff has done virtually nothing to address this crucial environmental issue.

What they have done is make the city a haven for corporate jet-setters with limo services available at the airport, and new developments just a short drive away on Colorado Ave. for office space and more. There is a dark cloud on the South East side of green Santa Monica, and it is growing bigger and getting darker.
Prediction: Pretty soon the drizzle of complaints will become a downpour of protest. As one Santa Monica resident puts it, “it’s Santa Monica’s dirty little secret.”

To join Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution: jetairpollution.com 479-2529
– Martin Rubin is co-founder of Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution.

Posted: Mon - March 1, 2004 at 05:40 PM          


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