As of October, more than $64K have been collected from repeat offenders
With some of the harshest noise violations at any airport in the country, 41 pilots have been fined in Santa Monica, amounting to about $102,000 for the city.
During its first year, the city’s controversial airport noise ordinance has had a strong effect on airport operations.
Overall aircraft noise violations decreased by 10.5 percent, from 279 in 2001 to 250 in 2002. Jet aircraft noise violations decreased by 13.1 percent from 237 in 2000 to 206 in 2002. “We’re on the right track,” said Santa Monica Airport Manager Bob Trimborn. “We’ve always been one or two in the nation as far as noise ordinance enforcement goes, and I think this elevates us to an even higher level.”
In November 2001, the Santa Monica City Council enacted higher fines for pilots who violate the city’s aircraft noise ordinance, which requires planes taking off and landing at the airport to stay under 95 decibels. First-time offenders are allowed to get off with a warning, but a second offense can land a pilot a $2,000 fine. If there is a third offense, the pilot is issued a $5,000 fine, and after that the pilot is issued a $10,000 fine for each violation.
During the past year, almost 90 percent of all violations were for first-time offenders. Most of them have not repeated the infraction. However, on 41 occasions this year, a fine was issued to repeat violators. Of those, 18 were issued to individually-owned and -operated aircraft, of which 29 percent have already been paid. Twenty-three pilots of fleet or fractional ownership companies were fined, of which 78 percent have been paid.
There are 17 aircraft that have been banned from using the airport because pilots didn’t pay the fines within 30 days. Outstanding fines are referred to a collection agency after 60 days.
“We’ve really been stepping up the outreach and letting them know about the noise ordinance and the fine structure,” Trimborn said. “If it’s a jet that hasn’t been here before, we go out to the ramp and greet them and let them know how the procedures work here.”
For most pilots that approach has worked well, Trimborn said.
The number of noise violations typically has been small compared to the overall number of planes using the airport annually, Trimborn said. Now, violations have almost been cut in half, he said.
“We are almost reaching the 100 percent compliance mark,” Trimborn said. “I don’t think reaching that 100 percent mark isn’t achievable, it is. But we’ve already got the number of violations down to the tenths of a percent mark.”
Ten of the citations issued have been appealed. When a pilot appeals the alleged noise violation, a hearing is held before an independent arbitrator. The city has prevailed in two of the appeal cases while eight others are pending.
“We were concerned there might be a legal challenge to this, but to date no one has filed a lawsuit,” said Santa Monica Deputy City Attorney Martin Tachiki. “I think there are some people who have said they are not coming to the airport because of the fines, but there’s no way of tracking that down or proving that.”
Even though overall airport operations are decreasing, the number of jets — which tend to be nosier than propeller airplanes — are increasing.
Total take-offs and landings decreased by 3.7 percent last year from 98,648 in 2001 to 91,167 in 2002. Propeller planes and helicopter activity decreased by 7 percent from 87,537 in 2001 to 81,253 in 2002.
During that same time, jet operations increased by 35.9 percent from 7,291 in 2001 to 9,9914 in 2002. “When the economy is good and people have money, you tend to see more flights,” Tachiki said. “And when the economy gets bad, it goes down a little.
“Turbine-powered aircraft have defied that trend,” he added. “But I don’t know if that will continue. It takes a huge out lay of cash, and many businesses are finding it makes more sense to take commercial flights.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 30, 2002. Read the original PDF.