Airport noise is a problem shared by many

I attended the Long Beach Airport meeting in Huntington Beach and was

inspired by the number of residents willing to voice their

frustration and anger over quality of life issues resulting from Long

Beach Airport.

As a Long Beach resident and president of a Long Beach

anti-airport noise group I was not allowed to speak. My intent was to

answer some of the questions that were asked and not addressed. The

expansion of the airport facilities rests in the hands of our Long

Beach City Council, which is politically driven. The proprietor of an

airport, in this case the city of Long Beach, has full control on

what takes place on the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration

has control of all activities in the air. If the Long Beach City

Council gives its support for terminal expansion, then in the future,

should the FAA and other governing bodies determine that Long Beach

can handle more flights they can pressure the powers that be until

they do so.

According to the Southern California Assn. of Governments,

regional transportation is a serious issue and all regional airports

may be required to accept their fair share of this burden. The

permanent terminal expansion and parking structure is being

identified as necessary for the “comfort and convenience” of the

passengers.

What about the comfort and convenience of the residents who are

affected 41 times each day with noise, pollution and aggravation? We

do not want our airport super-sized. How can Huntington Beach

residents get involved for results?

1. Communicate with your City Council and mayor.

2. Attend Long Beach City Council meetings to voice your opinions.

(This is especially effective when an airport issue is on the agenda

and we can have a large presence.)

3. Most importantly, attend the upcoming “scoping sessions” that

allow for public comment on what to include in the environmental

report. This is the only opportunity for citizen input to be

addressed within this document. The Notice of Preparation is

scheduled for public review in late September with the two scooping

sessions in early October. We will post the dates and they will also

be available on the www.lbreport.com and www. airportwatch.org Web

sites.

4. Join the with Long Beach anti-airport noise groups to raise the

consciousness of community and the dollars necessary if litigation is

required. Visit www.lbhush2.org for additional information. It is

easy to believe that someone else will take care of this, but we are

those someone elses.

* RAE GABELICH is a Long Beach resident. To contribute to

“Sounding Off” e-mail us at [email protected] or fax us at (714)

965-7174.