This past week, Q-line asked:
A U.S. appellate judge upheld an injunction last week restricting City Hall from enforcing its ban on certain jets at Santa Monica Airport. An FAA hearing officer also ruled that the ban violated the city’s agreement with the agency. Should City Hall press its case further and perhaps take it all the way to federal court?
Here are your responses:
“Of course City Hall should absolutely continue to press its case regarding the jet ban at the airport, even to the highest court in the land. Please take care of our citizens. The noise, the pollution, the big safety issues are an incredible violation of our citizens’ rights. The whole issue is absurd.”
“Pressing a case to federal court is very costly. Especially when suing a branch of the federal government. Keep in mind that both the city of Santa Monica and the federal government will be using taxpayers’ money to argue those relevant issues in hand. Prudence dictates that those residents living within close range of the Santa Monica Airport takeoff and landing pattern form a coalition of home-owners to argue their costly grievance in the federal court bureaucracy. Trust me, it will be very costly. Legal fees will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in the end, the FAA will win.”
“The airport was built back when jet planes were something only in Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. There were mostly farms of carnations and vegetables around it. Over the years, we’ve had several small planes crash around town, but a jet crashing in a populated area would be a terrible disaster. On the other hand, our stupid City Council is famous for squandering money on frivolous projects, and fighting the FAA would cost plenty.”
“I feel that with all the accidents that have continuously happened with jet aircraft, there is no way that City Hall shouldn’t press its case further. In other words, yes, absolutely. They should take the case all the way to federal court because the FAA is clearly not putting safety before access.”
“Yes, I live in Santa Monica, I live on the Santa Monica Airport bike path and I definitely think City Hall should press its case all the way. They have to to uphold the ban on C and D jets.”
“I’m a resident of Santa Monica for 35 years and I think that the city should definitely press the case further.”
“I agree with fighting for the large jet ban but sadly for different reasons than City Hall will have. First you have the homeowners of Sunset Park. They are recipients of tremendous noise and jet exhaust. Then you have the millionaires of large jets. These owners care little for Santa Monica. Last you have the City Council who cares even less but will fight the FAA because it will cause class envy throughout our town, especially in Sunset Park. In the end, the council will gain more control through voter anger against the airport. Anger confuses people and like the magician’s sleight of hand, City Hall yet again will confuse the unenlightened while they slip something important past us.”
“I am in favor of enforcing the ban on jets at the Santa Monica Airport. I’m also in favor of taking it to the federal court. I think it is the jets’ fuel and the jets themselves that pose a tremendous health and safety threat to the community. And it is not what the airport was intended for when it was built.”
“A stronger course of action would have been to ban air-polluting aircraft. There is not one word about any air pollution safeguards in the city’s agreement with the FAA. Ban the air-polluting aircraft and all your C and D aircraft will also be gone. Both the FAA and the city of Santa Monica have been remiss in addressing this critical health and quality of life issue. What the city is arguing now is speculative. Air pollution as a nuisance has already been proven and therefore a stronger case to argue.”
“Yes, yes, yes! City Hall should press this case further, and take it all the way to the United States Supreme Court. As a resident of Santa Monica who lives right near that airport I think it’s disgusting, it’s smelly, noisy and I wish they would shut down that Santa Monica Airport.”
“Yes, City Hall should press the case as far as possible, to the Supreme Court if necessary. But hopefully the FAA wakes up before that.”
“Yes, by all means, continue this struggle with the FAA until the city’s needs are met. Over-stuffing Santa Monica with excessive, out-of-scale building has already served to much-frustrate our street travels and to degrade the quality of lives here. Staying equally in denial about the eventual killing disaster coming from use of inappropriately-sized aircraft on our tiny airfield is comparably harmful and silly. When, if ever, in this little town will logic about the limits to growth and wise use of space be respected over the wishes of self-interest, privilege and greed? Oh, and let’s not forget that other self-sabotaging game in play, that ill-conceived, too-big train line now in the works coming this way. Whose city is this anyway?”
“No, it’s a waste of time and money. Let the airport be and spend the time on more important issues.”
“City Hall should definitely press its case all the way, including federal courts. Too many lives are at stake, both along the approach to the airport and the massive area to the west of the runway. The jets and prop planes do not follow the recommended flight path so a broad area of Santa Monica and Venice and Mar Vista is at risk.”
