County motion pushes regional airport takeover

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press April 4, 2001.

By LISA WAHLA
Valley Press Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Hoping to jump-start development of Palmdale's airport, county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich is proposing that a more regionally friendly owner take control of some small airports.

The Southern California Regional Airport Authority has the power to enact a "friendly takeover" of Palmdale Regional Airport if current operator Los Angeles World Airports agrees, an Antonovich aide said Monday.

LAWA is the Los Angeles city agency that runs Los Angeles International, Palmdale, Ontario and Van Nuys airports.

"LAWA keeps saying they support regional expansion and that's important to them, and maybe they don't have time to get to Palmdale," said Lori Howard Glasgow, who handles the airport issue for Antonovich. "If it's as important to them as they say it is, they would support (giving control of Palmdale Regional to SCRAA)."

The regional airport authority met last week for the first time since 1992 at the urging of 4th District Supervisor Don Knabe, who wanted better regional representation in air transportation planning. The organization consists of representatives from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the city of Los Angeles and a nonvoting member from the Southern California Association of Governments.

Knabe, whose territory includes LAX, and Antonovich, who represents Palmdale, are among many who oppose World Airports' $12 billion plan to expand LAX. They believe the draft long-range plan focuses too little attention on regional airport expansion.

Antonovich's motion, which the Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday, calls on the reestablished SCRAA to consider operating one or more of the regional airports "as part of its mission." SCRAA is expected to further consider its future mission at its next meeting April 26.

However, under SCRAA's configuration, voting members have veto power over issues in their own district. L.A. City Mayor Richard Riordan supports World Airports' plan, and it is unclear whether his regional airport authority representative, City Councilman Alex Padilla, would support Antonovich's recommendation.

Padilla has asked LAWA to review the proposal and offer its opinion before he makes a decision, his spokesman David Gershwin said.

Los Angeles Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who represents the area surrounding LAX, has loudly criticized LAWA and LAX expansion. But it is too early to tell if she would support Antonovich's plan, her spokeswoman Niki Tennant said.

"The strength of the city of L.A. is, we have the resources as well as the ability to, through a regional airport system, implement right now actual, operating regional airports," Tennant said. "What we don't have is the political will to do it."

That could change with the city's mayoral election next week. All six of the top candidates have gone on record opposing the LAWA expansion plan.

A decision on Antonovich's idea presumably would have little financial impact on LAWA at the moment, as Palmdale Regional discontinued regular passenger service several years ago. However, late last month a charter flight carried about 100 passengers round-trip from Palmdale Regional to Laughlin, Nev., and county surveys show a large passenger base if marketers can convince airlines to return to the Valley.

"LAX is not pantyhose," Antonovich said. "It will not stretch. Utilizing regional airports - such as the facilities available in Palmdale and Ontario - will provide jobs and safer travel for millions of county residents."

If the regional airport authority were to take over Palmdale, it would be empowered to issue bonds for new construction and to collect gate fees, Glasgow said. Conceivably, if SCRAA takes on the plan, its influence could be felt beyond the Palmdale/LAWA issue.

"If you're truly looking at the five-county region as a region, you could come up with a systematic plan (by which) LAWA operates some (airports); Southern California Regional Airport Authority operates some; Orange County operates some - it's big," she said.