> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Looking to put airport to the test - URL: https://www.smdp.com/looking-to-put-airport-to-the-test/ - Published: 2007-06-21T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T01:13:58.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import *Residents prefer propeller planes* CITY HALL Washing its hands of the pollution being generated by jets at Santa Monica Airport, the City Council on Tuesday endorsed a state bill that calls for a complete study of the health hazards being posed to nearby residents. The move followed assurances from city staff that the bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Ted Lieu (D-El Segundo), would work to incorporate several amendments, including one which would shield City Hall from future litigation — but not the Federal Aviation Administration, which has asserted control over the airport, dictating what types of aircraft can operate there. Residents in Santa Monica and Los Angeles hailed the move as a step in the right direction, finally providing them with the evidence they need to prove that the increase in jet aircraft operations at the airport are negatively impacting their health. Residents have complained of being smothered by jet fumes that smell like Kerosene. “It makes no sense for the state legislature to expand protections for the FAA,” said Zina Josephs, who lives near the airport and is president of the neighborhood group Friends of Sunset Park. “It’s difficult to sue the FAA anyway. Why make it harder? “It’s one thing to protect the city, but it’s another to protect the FAA.” The bill, AB 700, was approved by the state Assembly on June 5 and is now in the hands of state senators in the committee on environmental quality. Amendments approved by the council have not yet been added to the bill, but Lieu’s staff is expected to lobby for the changes in the coming days. “I would say probably 75 to 80 percent of them (the amendments) are issues in which there has been a broad consensus,” said David Ford, chief of staff for Lieu. The bill would then have to make its way through the state legislature and be signed by the governor. A similar bill, AB 2501, was introduced by Lieu last year, but failed to win the support of the council or former Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, who represented Santa Monica until she was forced to leave office late last year because of term limits. Assemblywoman Julia Brownley was elected to replace Pavley and is said to be working closely with Lieu. The primary reason for the earlier bill’s failure was rooted in funding. The council did not want to support a bill that created an unfunded mandate from the state. If approved, local officials feared a study would cost roughly $450,000 — money that would have come out of the pockets of local taxpayers. The council also opposed the bill because it singled out Santa Monica, and not other airports. Officials also claimed it was unnecessary, in light of an air quality study being conducted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. The Airport Commission, along with residents, opposed the council’s decision then to not endorse AB 250, feeling public health should trump financial concerns. Residents also felt the SCAQMD study wasn’t far reaching enough in terms of measuring idling times of jets on the runways. “Last year’s bill was very, very contentious and very divisive between Ted and Pavley, and this year, we’ve restructured the bill, took the mandate off Santa Monica and it has been a much more collaborative process,” Ford said. “We will continue to work closely with Assemblymember Brownley as we move forward.” If the study makes its way through the legislature and is signed by the governor, residents plan to use it to pressure City Hall and the FAA to place greater restrictions on the types of aircraft flying in and out of the airport, just as residents living near the seaside ports have done to address diesel emissions. “This data is important and, yes, it could be used in a lawsuit,” said Susan Hartley, a member of the Airport Commission. “Maybe that’s what it will take to get this hazard at the airport eliminated.” The amendments approved by the council explicitly state that the bill must not create an unfunded mandate; must force the California Air Resources Board to use the best science available, based on a review of existing data; not discriminate against one aircraft or another, meaning all planes — be it a jet or a piston-powered plane — be studied; and that City Hall should not be held liable for any of the findings since it does not have control over aircraft designs or operations, which are handled by the FAA. Airport Manager Bob Trimborn told the council Tuesday that there are no guarantees the bill will be amended, and that the council must state its position clearly and direct staff to be diligent and work with Lieu on the changes. If the bill is not amended, the council can rescind its endorsement and vote to oppose the legislation. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 21, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/062107.pdf?ref=smdp.com)