LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A coalition of community and labor organizations will urge the Los Angeles City Council to delay voting on the LAX expansion proposal until Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) releases the results of a major air quality study and elected officials and impacted committees have a chance to fully review and comment on the report’s findings.
LAWA is seeking approval for a multibillion-dollar expansion project at LAX that includes a controversial plan to move the Northern runway further north to accommodate larger passenger planes such as the Airbus 380.
The Los Angeles City Council Planning and Land Use Management Committee and Trade Commerce and Tourism Committee are scheduled to hold a joint meeting tomorrow to consider granting approval for the plan.
“They didn’t complete the air quality study, they didn’t present a full plan to the County of LA, and they’re trying to rubber stamp this in their last months in office,” said Denny Schneider of Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion. “It’s not fair to the affected communities or the region as a whole, to LAX workers, or the new Mayor and City Council.”
Traffic congestion, noise, and most significantly, air pollution in Los Angeles neighborhoods will increase during and after expansion construction - further degrading a quality of life that is already heavily impacted by airport operations.
More than ten years ago, as a condition of moving ahead with the last round of expansion at the airport, LAWA promised community groups it would conduct a study to examine the effects of jet engine exhaust and other contaminants on air quality impacting airport workers as well as residents of neighboring communities including Westchester, Playa del Rey, Lennox, Hawthorne, Inglewood and parts of South Los Angeles.
After a long delay, the results of the air quality study are expected to be released in June but the delay has meant these findings could not be reviewed by local residents during the mandatory public comment period LAWA scheduled last fall on the proposed expansion. It also means Los Angeles City Council members will not be able to take those results into account when called upon to vote on the proposal. The region’s smog control agency has already raised concerns about the significant impact the LAX expansion would have on the environment.
“As important as other commitments LAWA made under the LAX Community Benefits Agreement is the Source Apportionment Study, the air quality study should be used to inform and determine future airport expansion decisions,” said Danny Tabor, former Mayor of Inglewood and Co-Lead Negotiator for the LAX Community Benefits Agreement. “Waiting a few more weeks for the study results before voting would respect the needs and wishes of Inglewood residents and those of neighboring communities.”
Before moving forward with another round of expansion at LAX, the coalition – representing west side and unincorporated communities surrounding the airport as well as airport police officers and LAX passenger service workers – is calling on LAWA to fully disclose the results of the air quality study and allow elected leaders to take its findings into consideration.
“The airport community also includes the citizens of Inglewood and South Central Los Angeles,” said Dallas Fowler, 1st Vice President of New Frontier Democratic Club. “Their voices must be heard before a vote is pushed through City Hall impacting the lives of thousands that live and work under the LAX flight path.”
“Los Angeles residents and air transportation passengers deserve a world class airport that truly modernizes LAX, attracts long term jobs, tax revenue, respects the environment, and the quality of life of, not just neighboring LAX communities, but residents of the entire Los Angeles region,” said Sheila Mickelson, President of the Westchester Democratic Club, and coalition member of ‘Citizens for a Modern LAX.’ “What we don’t need is a costly expansion plan oriented around moving a runway.”
Coalition members are concerned about other impacts as well. Airport police worry about expanding passenger traffic at the airport despite recent reductions in airport police staffing.
“Rank-and-file airport police officer ranks have significantly diminished during LAX's expansion, yet, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) 2005 assessment that a major runway extension would have a significant adverse affect have not been fully addressed,” said Marshall McClain, President, Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association (LAAPOA).
As part of an escalating effort drawing attention to the impact of LAX on local communities, the coalition announced the “Reaching Higher Together at LAX” community town hall, set for May 4th.
“As airport service workers, we recognize the current airport leadership has failed to take responsibility not only for addressing worker issues but also the broad reaching impact of LAX on surrounding communities so we’ve decided to join forces,” said Robin Wilson, member of the SEIU-USWW executive board airport division.
Participants will include U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters along with other elected officials, community groups and airport workers. For updates on the town hall, please go to: www.ReachingHigherTogetherAtLAX.org.
SEIU-United Service Workers West represents more than 40,000 janitors, security officer airport workers, and other property service workers across California.
