This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press November 17, 2000
By DON JERGLER
Valley Press Aerospace Writer
LOS ANGELES - The city of Los Angeles wants to hire a consultant to kick-start longstanding plans to develop Palmdale Airport into a full-service international airport.
Taking a get-off-the-dime approach, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter successfully passed a recommendation this month ordering L.A.'s chief legislative analyst, Ron Deaton, to execute a contract with an aviation consulting firm to help "attract and establish significant air service at Palmdale Airport."
On Thursday, Galanter accused L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan and Los Angeles World Airports - which owns and runs several airports in the region, including LAX, Palmdale and Ontario - of taking a lame-duck approach to establishing and enhancing regional airports to alleviate congestion at the main Los Angeles airport.
In cooperation with Riordan, Los Angeles World Airports has drafted a master plan to expand LAX as well as increase commuter service to outlying airports, including Palmdale's.
It is Galanter's contention that Riordan and Los Angeles World Airports officials have concentrated all their efforts into LAX expansion, which she opposes. In doing so, they have neglected plans to develop regional airports, she says.
"LAWA's been so busy focusing on throwing money at their failed master plan to expand LAX that they're not paying attention to some of the other things they ought to be doing," Galanter said.
Making good on a public promise to promote regional airports, Riordan introduced a resolution calling for legislative and administrative actions to develop Palmdale Airport.
Riordan, who has long pushed for expansion of LAX, has also publicly called for a regional approach to solving the crowding problem at the heavily used metropolitan airport by developing air service at outlying airports.
Galanter questioned the urgency of the actions by Los Angeles World Airports and the mayor, then amended Riordan's resolution.
The resolution and amendment were approved by the L.A. City Council on a 10-0 vote Nov. 3.
Galanter's amendments call for the consulting firm to be paid for by Los Angeles World Airports and for the firm to work with the city to establish Palmdale as an international airport, not as a regional facility, the plan pushed by Riordan and Los Angeles World Airports.
Contacted late in the day, a Los Angeles World Airports spokeswoman said there was no one available to respond immediately to Galanter's charges.
Peter Hidalgo, a spokesman for Riordan, said it is the mayor's intent to develop outlying airports, which is why he introduced the resolution.
"The mayor has initiated a legislative priority that would potentially develop a full-service international airport in the Antelope Valley," Hidalgo said. "The intent is that we take the next step in making that a priority by having a study be conducted that would explore the feasibility of making this concept a reality."
According to Galanter, a committee known as the Palmdale Working Group, established by Los Angeles World Airports to look for ways to attract airlines to the airport here, hasn't met since February.
No one from that group was available for comment.
"They keep assuring us that they are working on it and they are really anxious to see those airports take off," Galanter said. "Clearly, their entire effort is focused on putting everything on LAX."
By working outside of the regular channels, Galanter said, it is her hope "to sit with some of you people in the Antelope Valley and some of the airline people and look into things we can do that they haven't tried yet."
One example of a possible solution cited by Galanter can be found in Eugene, Ore., where the city and the airport established a business travel bank. Businesses in that area promised to book a certain number of flights per year, giving airlines assurances they will have enough bookings to make a profit. In turn, airlines agreed to service the area.
Palmdale city officials, once allied with Galanter against LAX expansion for obvious reasons, have withdrawn from the battle.
Once recurring enlistees in Galanter's battle, Palmdale officials remain on the sidelines, citing a need to cooperate with Los Angeles World Airports.
Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford has said building an international airport on 17,470 acres of vacant land owned by Los Angeles World Airports east of U.S. Air Force Plant 42 "would jeopardize the presence of the Air Force at Plant 42 and the contractors now situated at Plant 42, so we're talking about the loss of jobs and the loss of the Air Force."
But Palmdale does support an expansion of operations at Plant 42, which is allowed under a jointuse agreement between Los Angeles World Airports and the Air Force, he said.
Expanding those operations up to the maximum 400 flights a day would allow the city to relieve some of the burden from LAX and add local service while retaining the Air Force and major aircraft companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Ledford said.
Another reason Palmdale officials have withdrawn from the fray could be a matter of finance.
In April 1999, Los Angeles World Airports' board of commissioners granted permission to seek bids for the construction of a $1.5 million cargo ramp. That ramp was to be large enough to accommodate the simultaneous loading and unloading of two cargo planes at Palmdale Regional Airport.
Galanter's focus on establishing air service in Palmdale is primarily as a service to her constituents, she said.
Every day, residents in communities near LAX are faced with traffic congestion, noise and air pollution, she said.
"It's very crowded down there," Galanter added.
The controversial master plan still has many hurdles to overcome.
Officials reportedly are nearing the release of a 12,000-page environmental document laying out several LAX expansion scenarios. The plan calls for construction of an additional terminal, an expressway from the San Diego Freeway to LAX and a road around the airport.
"I think their problem is that they are throwing all their resources into trying to expand LAX," Galanter said.
Likening the expansion plans to a runaway situation, Galanter said, "It's kind of like driving a supertanker - it's really hard to stop and it's taking them a long time to realize that they need to stop."
If the go-ahead is given to LAX expansion, which also is supported by the airlines, even less emphasis will be placed on expansion or utilization of other airports, Galanter said.
"If they succeed in expanding LAX, it's going to be that much harder for us to do the kind of regional development that we need to do," she said. "As long as they hold out to airlines who propose to build more space at LAX, they're never going to get anything done at Palmdale or Ontario."