Kawasaki 8th dist. Council Campaign Announces Endorsement of Former Councilman Mike Donelon...Who In 2005 Co-Chaired Group That Blasted LB Airport Sizing Urged By Councilwoman Gabelich & LBHUSH2 That City Hall Now Supports

(April 4, 2012) -- In a development that may reopen Airport issues in the Airport-impacted 8th City Council district (in the final days of a Council campaign), Lillian Kawasaki's campaign yesterday (April 3) announced the endorsement of former Councilman Mike Donelon (1994-1998).

In April 2005, Mr. Donelon took a high visibility position as co-chair and spokesman for a group (whose origins and funding remained somewhat murky) that blasted positions supported by then recently-elected Councilwoman Rae Gabelich and LBHUSH2 (transcripts below)

Mr. Donelon's stance and the appearance of a group calling itself the "Long Beach Alliance" came as the Council -- which included newly elected (2004) Councilmembers Gabelich and O'Donnell -- was deciding sizes to be evaluated in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on Airport upgrades that increased the size of LB's Airport's permanent terminal area facilities. At the time, the Airport's then-permanent terminal area facilities were slightly under 60,000 sq. ft. (with modular trailers added as temporary measures).

Some argued for expanding the Airport's permanent terminal area facilities to over 130,000 sq. feet but the City Council -- with newly elected members Gabelich and O'Donnell -- supported a snaller size and a few months later, the "Long Beach Alliance" materialized.

On April 27, 2005, the group announced itself at a press event held in an Airport-area hotel's meeting room [not the usual venue for grassroots groups]. LBReport.com covered the event in detail at the time [including transcripts, see below]. Surrounded by professionally printed signs and bumper stickers ("Improve Long Beach Airport! Improvement Not Expansion,"), Mr. Donelon said actions by LB city leaders (that he didn't name) had "sent us on a path of confrontation and litigation, and away from cooperation and mitigation. They have not provided a direction that keeps up with the needs of the city."

Mr. Donelon continued:

"We will do what has not been done and that's tell the truth. For more than a year, the truth has been distorted by the use of rhetoric, misinformation and scare tactics. Some have used the scare tactic that the plan is about "super sizing" and adding more flights. My friends, the only "super sizing" is their deception. The issue is about terminal improvements, not about more flights. None of us would support an effort to increase flights at the Long Beach airport, period."

At the time, JetBlue and the leadership of the LB Area Chamber of Commerce supported EIR evaluation of sizes of roughly 130,000 sq. feet. LBHUSH2 and Councilmembers Gabelich and O'Donnell supported modernizing the Airport's facilities but said the large size (which they dubbed "supersizing") injected excess capacity that invited additional flights, wasn't fiscally sustainable [similar to Aquarium debt] and undercut a key LB Airport selling-point for travelers: LB Airport's boutique size and traveler convenience.

Today, the City is building a 79,000 sq. ft. Airport terminal upgrade that includes a greatly enlarged parking structure and modernizes the Airport's permanent terminal area facilities. LB Airport management has in recent years cited as key benefits maintaining LGB's convenience for travelers and its financial sustainability.

On February 1, 2005, then-Councilmembers Gabelich, O'Donnell and Reyes Uranga jointly agendized an item seeking Council approval for EIR preparation purposes of Airport management's terminal facilities expansion option "Alternative Two." That alternative -- which Airport management included as among the Council's plausible options -- was smaller than management's preferred choice but larger than management proposed in its official Sept. 2003 Notice of EIR Preparation.

[Gabelich-O'Donnell-Reyes-Uranga agendizing memo] In light of the need to protect our current noise ordinance, and to protect the quality of life in our neighborhoods, we believe the AAC [Airport Advisory Commission majority] endorsed 133,243 square foot plan is oversized. What started as a modernization plan to address the high passenger loads brought on by the arrival of Jet Blue and new security requirements, has grown into an expansion plan that encompasses much more. We acknowledge that a need exists to modernize facilities, especially in this post-9/11 security environment, however this need must be balanced with the needs of those communities most impacted by airport operations...

"Our airport is unique and requires more than a standardized approach," the Councilmembers wrote in an agendizing memo, adding:

A modernization plan for Long Beach Airport needs to not only address the size of the terminal, but also ways in which we can protect the integrity of our neighborhoods impacted most by airport operations, a plan to better protect our Noise Ordinance which limits the number of flights, opportunities to preserve the historical significance of the terminal and equally important, maintaining the transparency of this process in which the City Council, staff and the community have been working together and will continue to work.

During her campaign, Ms. Kawasaki has said that protecting LB's Airport Noise ordinance is essential but isn't tied to size. She has acknowledged that she was never a member of LBHUSH2 but says she joined with an informal group of residents in submitting a Council appeal on Airport size issues.

Ms. Kawasaki's Council candidacy is endorsed by the LB Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, former Mayor Beverly O'Neill, L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe...and now by former Councilman Donelon...all of whom at various times have publicly supported Airport terminal sizes larger than what the City is now building. Ms. Kawasaki is also endorsed by incumbent Mayor Bob Foster.

In 2001 under the O'Neill administration, city management agendized an item and the Council approved (8-1, Carroll dissenting) changing the Airport's flight slot allocation rules (to let carriers hold unused flight slots longer without using them). [The City had no legal obligation to affirmatively seek to fill unfilled flight slots.] LBReport.com subsequently learned and reported that city officials and JetBlue reps met prior to the Council action...and within days of the Council action, JetBlue took and filled all of the Airport's then vacant large aircraft flight slots.

The Council's action prompted some carriers to threaten litigation and file an administrative complaint with the FAA. LB City Attorney Bob Shannon retained special aviation counsel and with skillful lawyering and flexibility by JetBlue, reached accommodations with the carriers and the FAA.

The April 3 release by the Kawasaki campaign makes no mention of Mr. Donelon's involvement in the "Long Beach Alliance." His more visible role in recent years has been as a vocal advocate for building skateboard parks as deterrent to youth gang activity. Extended excerpts from LBReport.com's coverage of the April 27, 2005 event follow.

Mr. Donelon:...During my twenty years as a community activist and a former Councilmember who lives in and represented my airport-impacted neighborhood, I do not recall any issue that has brought together such a diverse and broad-based coalition as this issue has.

I am very proud to be a part of this effort to educate the community to the facts about the Long Beach Airport and terminal improvements...[Introduces former Councilmembers indicated above, plus former City Mgr. Hankla...and indicates former Councilmember (now Harbor Commissioner Doris Topsy-Elvord) is "a big supporter of ours."].

Long Beach is a growing city with a strong economy and working together we have maintained our friendly, small town feel that makes Long Beach special. Much of our success is due to our municipal airport and our unique noise control ordinance. We are one of the few cities in the United States that have local control over our airport.

Thanks to our current ordinance, the people of Long Beach are able to enjoy the benefits of a successful airport without harming our quality of life. Now the success of our airport, its positive economic impacts, the comfort of passengers and airport personnel are at risk due to a new policy by our elected officials.

The recent action by our city leaders have sent us on a path of confrontation and litigation, and away from cooperation and mitigation. They have not provided a direction that keeps up with the needs of the city.

Those of us who use the airport know it does not put the best face on the city of Long Beach. Temporary trailers for passengers. Personnel working in tents. No permanent handicap access to airplanes and other issues is not the kind of airport this city deserves. We believe the city deserves better. [applause]

That is what the Long Beach Alliance is all about, a broad base of community leaders, business leaders and residents that share a common belief that a common-sense plan for improving our airport is an urgent need for our city.

We intend to do this with truthful and respectful dialogue. We will do what has not been done and that's tell the truth. For more than a year, the truth has been distorted by the use of rhetoric, misinformation and scare tactics.

Some have used the scare tactic that the plan is about "super sizing" and adding more flights. My friends, the only "super sizing" is their deception. The issue is about terminal improvements, not about more flights. None of us would support an effort to increase flights at the Long Beach airport, period.

The improvements in no way have an impact on our existing noise laws. The planned improvements will give residents an airport we can be proud of. It will provide a more comfortable, safer and more convenient environment for passengers and airport personnel.

Again, that is what the Long Beach Alliance is all about, and that is why you see such a broad base of community support.

So we call on our city leaders to hear our voices: truth, not rhetoric, and respond to it as a clear majority of this city's residents.

We believe too much time has been wasted and it's time to get the job done.

The scope of the airport facilities EIR had been scheduled to come to the City Council over a year earlier in December 2003...but in October 2003 (with elections in airport-impacted Council districts 4 and 8 coming in Spring 2004), the Council on its own motion delayed an EIR vote by referring the Airport facilities issue first to a non-elected "Airport Advisory Commission" (AAC), a body with no legal power to decide the issue.

The Council's referral effectively pushed a Council vote on the EIR scope into the period after April and June 2004 Council elections. In those elections, 4th and 8th district airport-impacted voters removed two incumbents who had been backed by LB Mayor Beverly O'Neill and replaced them with Gabelich and O'Donnell.

At the same time, Airport management used the intervening period to work with HNTB (a firm which does planning work and also builds public works projects including airports) on new proposed Airport terminal facility sizes. When the new sizes were publicly unveiled by HNTB in May 2004, they were significantly larger than what city management announced in September 2003 (which the Council referred to the AAC).

The LB Area Chamber of Commerce wrote Councilmembers, urging them to "immediately initiate" the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process "and consider ALL [emphasis in original] the options" presented by the Airport Advisory Commission for "a complete study and evaluation."

Among those visible at the April 2005 "Long Beach Alliance" event were then-LB Harbor Commissioner (and retired City Manager) Jim Hankla, Kristy Ardizzone (then with JetBlue), Lou Anne Bynum (then-LB Chamber board chair) and former Councilmembers Del Roosevelt, Les Robbins, Doug Drummond and Jerry Shultz.