By Stephanie Body Venice
Now is the time to take a stand for all of the people in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles. People are being driven away from their homes because of conditions around the airport, and this is what the FAA wants in the long run. Hearing the FAA representative speak at the March 25th Santa Monica City Council meeting, I realized that the FAA’s intention for the future is to have a larger airport, that, (as they intend to purchase homes and land from those who wish to sell) will have a clear flight path from the airport to the sea as LAX does.
This will have two effects. First it will change the nature of Santa Monica from a very desirable living and tourist destination to something like El Segundo or Playa del Rey. Second, the same problems that face the current neighbors of the airport will challenge the new neighbors of the larger airport. If you want to keep Santa Monica a beautiful city, with the related economic benefits, then the council should stand its ground and not seek a compromise. This is the point at which there are enough facts and figures to make a real case.
Time is now very important. I think there should be a moratorium on the C and D jets until the safety issue, if not the whole issue, is resolved.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 8, 2008. Read the original PDF.