MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Hermosa Beach, California, held on Tuesday, August 12, 1998, at the hour of 7:10 P.M.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - Manhattan Beach Mayor Pro Tempore Steve Napolitano

ROLL CALL:

Present: Bowler, Oakes, Reviczky, Mayor Edgerton

Absent: Benz (arrived at 7:35 P.M.)

Mayor Edgerton announced the presence of local officials seated in the audience, including Manhattan Beach Mayor Pro Tempore Steve Napolitano, Councilmembers Tim Lilligren and Linda Wilson, and City Manager Geoff Dolan; representatives from the offices of Assemblywoman Debra Bowen and Assemblyman Steven Kuykendall; and Green party congressional candidate Robin Barrett.

PRESENTATION BY REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA)

Mayor Edgerton said FAA representatives were present to discuss aircraft noise, overflights and other associated quality of life issues. He invited members of the public to come forward after the FAA presentation with comments or questions.

William Withycombe, FAA Regional Administrator, introduced Alton Scott, Operations Branch Manager for Air Traffic Service in the Western Pacific Region, and members of his staff, Evelyn Woolridge and Barbara Heckrotte. He referenced a handout--copies of an August 1998 Peninsula Business Journal article pertaining to the FAA's Southern California Task Force's noise abatement efforts--which his staff had on hand for distribution. He said his presentation would first cover some of the issues currently faced by the FAA concerning the federal responsibility for aviation safety, and would then move onto issues concerning Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), including issues on departures around LAX, followed by information regarding new technology to help the situation at LAX and the 47 other airports in the area. He said the basic goals of aviation safety, security and system efficiency were identified in the 1998 strategic master plan just released by the FAA, noting that the plan contained specifics for action that the FAA would be working on. He cited the FAA's environmental goals and said that their single greatest challenge was to continue the growth for aviation services demanded by the public while maintaining the environmental conditions and quality of life issues which the public also demanded.

With the aid of an overhead projector, Mr. Withycombe then made his presentation, illustrating the size of the Western Pacific Region, which includes the states of California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii, and noting additional air space responsibility out over the Pacific Ocean. He cited about 5,700 employees in the region, including about 3,000 controllers, as well as numerous airways facilities technicians, security inspectors, and safety inspectors, and said the region had many facilities to maintain, including 133 field offices and 100 air traffic control facilities. He said the region controlled nearly 34,000 take-offs and landings per day, with LAX ranking number four among the nation's busiest airports and Van Nuys Airport ranking number eight. He noted an increased demand for aviation services and an increase in small airplanes and in commercial aviation--both international and domestic. He reiterated that the strategic plan cite safety, security and system efficiency as the areas on which the FAA will be focusing, and said general aviation, commercial aviation and cabin safety were some broad areas of concern. He reviewed new technology recently installed at LAX including a new tower, new airport surface detection radar system, new instrument landing system, and improved scheduling and arrival technology. He then discussed new aircraft technology as well, noting a stage three requirement that would phase out all of the noisy, stage two commercial aircraft by the year 2000. He said they were also working to make commuter planes and helicopters quieter.

Councilmember Benz arrived at 7:35 P.M.

Mr. Withycombe said the Southern California Task Force was formed to work on issues identified by the FAA during public meetings held last December, and said numerous task force meetings had taken place. He referenced a current LAX routing map on display and cited changes that had been made. He said one of the problems identified was the need for aircraft to go further out over the ocean while climbing so that they are above 13,000 feet as they cross the coastline, usually in the area of Seal Beach or south Long Beach. He said that route had been changed and that planes now go further out to sea, noting possible occasional exceptions when a plane may be brought in lower because of safety reasons. Another identified problem concerned turbo props coming in too low over the Palos Verdes Peninsula. He noted the Class B air space change about 18 months ago, but said due to a misunderstanding, air controllers were allowing planes departing from LAX to come back over the shoreline at about 2,500 feet. He said those planes are now kept in Class B air space and are above 5,000 feet as they pass over the Peninsula. He said that route was necessary to keep those smaller planes away from jet traffic. He said the loop departure was devised 20 years ago and was a method of noise abatement when implemented properly, with the plane going out over the ocean, climbing to above 10,000 feet, then looping back directly over the airport. He said a problem identified by the FAA task force was that the large, four-engine airplanes could not properly perform the loop maneuver because of their turning radius, and that those planes were no longer permitted to use the loop departure route. He said the FAA was monitoring the turns to ensure that the planes come back over the airport, not over the cities to the south. He said the FAA has asked LAX to track radar data and analyze it to ensure that the problem is corrected, noting that the loop must be flown correctly in order to be effective. He said they had identified 10 to 11 aircraft per day that were flying the loop route improperly.

Mayor Edgerton announced the presence in the audience of Redondo Beach Councilmember Mike Gin. He then opened the meeting up to public comments concerning aircraft noise, overflights and other associated quality of life issues.

Coming forward to comment on FAA issues were:

Lynn Schubert - Hermosa Beach, expressed concern about the proposed LAX expansion; said the increased flights would create the need for more safety adjustments; asked if there were some controls to avoid running into this situation (Mr. Withycombe said the FAA would not allow capacity to exceed safety requirements);

Unidentified woman - said aircraft noise had been very loud in the Marina del Rey and Venice area since May, with flights every few minutes; asked what environmental review had been done;

Dave Cross - Manhattan Beach, showed a photograph of a low-flying airplane; said low flights occurred more often (Mr. Withycombe said people should call 215-2150 with information on low flights, citing the type of aircraft and providing the location, time and date of the occurrence);

Bill Izant - Manhattan Beach, said air controllers had expressed concerns on television regarding the handling of more air traffic; and

Brad Smith - Hermosa Beach, asked about penalties to pilots who violate the rules and how often they were imposed; asked if there was a limit on how low the banner planes coming from the Torrance Airport could fly; said the increased demand for LAX exists only because the City of Los Angeles says it does, that people would fly out of Palmdale if they could.

Mr. Withycombe said penalties were imposed on pilots quite often, that there were thousands of cases handled per year. He said the banner planes flew under visual flyer rules without communication with air traffic controllers, which was why large airports kept those planes in controlled air space except when landing or taking off. He said they were operating under certificates issued by the FAA and that any safety problems should be reported to the same phone number noted earlier, 215-2150. He said the public was demanding the use of LAX and that the proposed LAX expansion plans were a local decision.

Continuing to come forward to comment on FAA issues was:

Randall Loos - Manhattan Beach, said he was a pilot, that pilots can select the loop if air traffic says okay; said some pilots turn early and make the coast run to save gas, rather than flying the required five miles out; questioned recent flight changes out of Long Beach Airport; said the banner tows come out of Long Beach and elsewhere.

Mr. Withycombe said larger aircraft have been rerouted because of their inability to properly do the loop and that the FAA was monitoring that situation. He said the FAA was also looking at the Long Beach flights to see if that was an issue.

Continuing to come forward to comment on FAA issues was:

Steve Braskin - Manhattan Beach, said the routes shown did not exist, that airplanes flew over his home daily; asked what changes occurred last September or October when aircraft noise suddenly appeared; said despite FAA denials, something did change 10 months ago; referenced a photograph showing a low-flying plane; said more small planes are also flying over also.

Mr. Withycombe said he was not aware of any major changes in routes or procedures but that on occasion a plane may be rerouted over the homes for safety reasons. He said April 22 radar data showed 15 overflights over Hermosa Beach, noting that those problems were being corrected. He said the only change he was aware of related to Class B airplanes.

Continuing to come forward to comment on FAA issues were:

Jim Parkman - Hermosa Beach, said with cloud cover, there were more overflights; said the 215-2150 phone number was only for 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Monday through Friday office hours; said he would be unable to report the kind of plane because he would not know; said he had no confidence that anything would be acted on (Mr. Withycombe suggested callers get the name of the person they speak to and follow up or that they call his office at 725-3550); and

Robert Woody - Hermosa Beach, said he had followed the issue closely and was impressed in the last month with the progress and the lessening of noise; asked if loop departures should be discontinued given the increase in air traffic.

Mr. Withycombe said the loop was established 20 years ago to enhance the environment and he hoped loop departures would not be eliminated. He said if it became a major problem, they would look for ways to reroute, but that it was both efficient and environmentally sound if flown properly.

Continuing to come forward to comment on FAA issues were:

Liz Gertzholz - El Segundo, said there had been 1,200 early turns per month in El Segundo, now down to 400 per month due to the work of the City and its citizens; said there was no enforcement and El Segundo's videotaping was the only way they were able to get anything done (Mr. Withycombe said the 75 percent reduction in early turns was because the FAA cooperated with the City of El Segundo and the airport, and said those would be reduced to only emergency early turns); and

Merna Marshall - Hermosa Beach, said at 9:41 P.M. on July 1 a jet flew over the Strand so low she could see its windows; thought pilots should be held personally responsible for their actions; asked why the airport has 60 million passengers now, which is well beyond the capacity it was built for; said restaurants had a capacity but, when full, they were not allowed to simply add more tables.

In response to a Council question, Mr. Scott said the Class B change was made to encompass routes that were already existing.

Mayor Edgerton announced the presence in the audience of Redondo Beach Councilmember Kevin Sullivan.

Continuing to come forward to comment on FAA issues were:

Vickie Hanson - Hermosa Beach, said the LAX expansion was a Los Angeles decision, not a local decision; said it was already a safety issue because the airport was 50 percent over its capacity; said such a high-use airport should not be located in the middle of a heavily populated area;

Steven Trucker - Hermosa Beach, referred to the original design capacity versus the current operating capacity; asked the FAA's position on how much more traffic LAX could withstand and if the proposed 90 million was reasonable;

Michael Callahan - Hermosa Beach, said he was a pilot and asked for assurance that the FAA would not cave in to public pressure and create safety issues; regarding loop departures, said the controller on duty tells him when to turn and, if he is told to turn early, it was because of another aircraft out there; objected to the suggestion that he would turn early to save fuel; said pilots would not reduce their level of safety regardless of public pressure;

Jim Lissner - Hermosa Beach, discussed disclosure rules to new home buyers; asked the FAA for a list of noise complaints and if they would be published on paper or the Internet; asked how many pilots were actually penalized over the last few years out of the 1000 cases handled per year;

John Weiss - Hermosa Beach, noted that the pilot who spoke earlier said he was not making the decision regarding early turns; asked if that was true, who was responsible for those early turns.

Mr. Withycombe said perhaps there were conflicting traffic reasons for the different instructions, but that normally flying the loop is a straightforward process, with the pilot following the instruments in the cockpit. He thought the problems could be resolved through the training of controllers, the training of crews, and disciplinary action against the pilots.

Continuing to come forward to comment on FAA issues were:

Bruce Bartlett - Hermosa Beach, asked if the FAA had any ability to stop the LAX expansion and how the City could make that happen (Mr. Withycombe said there was no FAA position on the proposed LAX expansion at this time, but that the driving force would be safety. He said the job of the FAA was to safely move aircraft from one place to another);

Kevin Sullivan - Redondo Beach Councilmember, noted that the City of Redondo Beach joined in the law suit with Hermosa Beach; asked how high planes are supposed to be when flying along the coast.

Mr. Withycombe said commercial planes must be at 13,000 feet when they cross the beaches.

ADJOURNMENT - The Adjourned Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Hermosa Beach, California, adjourned Wednesday, August 12, 1998, at the hour of 9:54 P.M., to the Regular Meeting of Tuesday, August 25, 1998 at the hour of 7:10 P.M.

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