Good Year expected for GA in 2000
If predictions are correct, this will be another solid year for general aviation growth in California. The 1999 Statewide Aviation Forecast released by Caltrans predicted that the number of annual GA operations and based aircraft will increase slightly more than 1 percent for the period from 1995 through 2015. The more dramatic figures have to do with the number of pilots in the state. The forecast predicts that the number of student and private pilots will increase by 34 percent, or 1.7 percent each year, during the same 20-year period. Air carrier and air cargo operations are expected to grow even faster, particularly in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
State lawmakers intervene in Van Nuys noise issue
After the Los Angeles City Council—under pressure from AOPA, NBAA, and other aviation groups—voted to delay action on a proposal to place noise restrictions on Stage 2 aircraft at Van Nuys Airport, angry homeowner groups contacted their state legislators demanding action. The homeowners claimed that local politicians weren’t up to the task of restricting noise at the airport.
Responding to the complaints, State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles) called a round-table discussion on the issue. In addition to other legislators, Villaraigosa invited representatives of the FAA, Caltrans Aeronautics, Van Nuys Airport, and area homeowner groups to participate. Among the topics discussed was a proposal to lower the state noise standards threshold from the current 65 decibels to 60 dB and expand the area of airport noise impact to a five-mile radius. The group also discussed lack of enforcement of existing noise laws by state and local officials and the possibility of auditing enforcement activity.
The round-table sets the stage for the possible introduction of state noise legislation. Any such legislation could have a serious effect on all of the state’s airports.
New aviation studies planned
A variety of new studies that could affect general aviation are being planned for the state. At a recent meeting of the Regional Transportation Planning Agencies Aviation Planning Committee, Caltrans reported that a number of new aviation-related studies are under way or in the planning stages. Among the studies now being planned is one that will look at the adequacy of ground access to airports in the state. The process of hiring a consultant has begun, and the study should begin by April.
Meanwhile, a study to help officials update the Caltrans Airport Land Use Planning Handbook has already begun. The California Aviation Alliance, of which AOPA is a member, has requested that Caltrans survey each of the state’s airport land-use commissions (ALUCs) as a means of identifying the specific problems that the ALUCs have encountered, including the number of times that their decisions about airport land use have been overridden by local legislative bodies.
In addition, Caltrans is participating in an aviation research project in cooperation with the University of California at Berkeley’s Institute of Transportation Studies. The research project is intended to develop an aviation database for the state. To see the database, visit the project’s Web site ( www.its.berkeley.edu/).
Aerospace summit addresses aviation issues
Gov. Gray Davis was among the participants in a recent aerospace summit that addressed ways in which the aviation and aerospace industries can work together. During a presentation at the summit, representatives of Caltrans Aeronautics discussed the state’s existing aviation infrastructure, and the role that aviation now plays in California. They raised the possibility that the aviation and aerospace industries could share infrastructure and the need to view the two industries as interwoven. The summit came about, in part, as a result of the governor’s interest in increasing California’s competitiveness in the aerospace industry. Among the other issues discussed was the fact that the state’s two missile-launching facilities—located at Edwards Air Force Base and Vandenberg Air Force Base—are being used primarily for commercial, rather than military, launches.
El Toro at heart of development disputes
Cities bordering what was formerly El Toro Marine Corps Air Station are threatening to encourage development that was previously restricted because it would have been incompatible with operations at a military airport. But airport advocates are concerned that plans to build homes, schools, and businesses on the property would be equally incompatible with the conversion of the military base to a civilian airport.
Development issues affecting El Toro already have prompted a dispute between the City of Irvine and the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC). The ALUC has stated that, in the future, it might declare some developments around El Toro compatible with the airport if the developers are willing to grant navigation easements to the airport. But Irvine’s City Council believes that the ALUC’s action is illegal and has agreed to file a lawsuit against the ALUC.
Aviation advocate to run for State Senate
Longtime aviation advocate Skip Daum has announced his candidacy for the California First Senatorial District seat. Daum, who owned a legislative advocacy firm for more than 25 years, has had a number of legislative successes in Sacramento. He is currently president of the California Aviation Business Association and a member of the California Aviation Alliance.
The First Senate District is geographically one of the largest in the state, extending from the Oregon border south to the Mammoth Lake region along the border between California and Nevada. The primary election for the seat is scheduled for March 7. The general election will take place in November. Daum can be contacted at 916/658-0256, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Sports complex proposed for Petaluma
A proposal to build a 28-acre sports complex is before the Petaluma City Council after the local airport commission voted against the plan. The development, known as Sportsplex, would include six ball fields, a pizza restaurant, a pro shop, a video arcade, bleachers, a parking lot, and extensive night lighting. The complex would be located under the traffic pattern for ultralight aircraft. Members of the airport commission raised several concerns about the project, including potential hazards to ultralight aircraft, reduced areas available for emergency landings, and the glare from night lighting. The project would also reduce the amount of "green belt" separating the city from the airport. The issue is now before the city council, which will decide whether to proceed with the project.
Stockton to reconstruct runway
Stockton Municipal Airport is the beneficiary of a substantial FAA Airport Improvement Program grant intended to reconstruct the airport’s primary runway. The grant, which totals nearly $3.5 million, will be used for a variety of projects at the airport, including rebuilding the main runway. AOPA ASN volunteer Dick Mesa says work is scheduled to begin in April.
Solano County tax repeal considered
At a recent meeting of the Sacramento Area Airport Managers (SAAM), officials discussed repealing the state-mandated possessory interest tax. The tax is levied by counties on publicly owned property that is rented or leased for private use, including airport hangar and tiedown leases on public-owned airports. The Solano County tax appraiser told the airport managers that in Solano County the tax is only assessed on possessory interests with an annual capitalized appraised value of $5,000 or more. Tiedowns are among the items that are excluded under that collection philosophy. Other counties may establish a lower or higher dollar threshold to apply the tax assesment against. The decision to keep the threshold at $5,000 appraised value in Solano County is because that amount multiplied by the 1 percent tax rate produces $50 in annual tax revenue. Any amount less than that would cost more to appraise and collect than the county would receive in tax revenue.
In some counties, airports receive a portion of the possessory interest tax that is collected on airport property. In other California counties, the airports do not directly receive revenue from the tax but do get general fund support from the county.
While many support repealing the tax, some airport managers are concerned that revenue losses could hurt their airports. The California Pilots Association has said that it will seek legislation to repeal the tax.
Newspaper petitions court for names behind noise complaints
The San Jose Mercury-News has asked the California Supreme Court to review a state appeals court ruling that protects the anonymity of individuals who file noise complaints against airports. The newspaper request comes after an appeals court overturned a lower court ruling in favor of the paper. In that ruling, a Superior Court judge found that the state’s public records act requires that the public be allowed access to noise complaint records at San Jose International Airport. The City of San Jose contested that decision and persuaded the appeals court to overturn the ruling. In its decision, the appeals court found that the privacy rights of airport-noise complainants outweighed the public’s right to know their identity. The appeals panel agreed with the city’s contention that disclosing the complainants’ identities could result in their being harassed by airport supporters. But pilots fear that the ruling could lead to a stream of frivolous complaints. Last year, the San Jose Mercury-News sued the city for access to names of those who had filed airport noise complaints. The issue has been contested since 1995 when the state attorney general’s office stated that the names and addresses of people who complain about airport noise are a matter of public record. Under state law, that means that the names and addresses must be available for public review unless there is a clear public interest in keeping the information private.
Volunteers needed
AOPA Airport Support Network volunteers are still needed for the California general aviation airports of Meadows Field, Bakersfield; Lampson Field, Lakeport; Brackett Field, La Verne; Merced Municipal Airport; Monterey Peninsula Airport; Salinas Municipal Airport; Auburn Municipal Airport; John Wayne-Orange County Airport, Santa Ana; Hemet-Ryan Airport; Riverside Municipal Airport; and Brown Field, San Diego. For more information, visit the Web site ( www.aopa.org/asn/).
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