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Special Event Advisory

Attn Bixby Knolls/Cal Hts (7th/8th Districts) And East Long Beach (3rd/4th/5th Districts): Neighborhoods First + LBHUSH2 Schedule Special Public Meeting -- Monday 6:30 p.m. at EXPO Center, 4321 Atlantic -- Inviting City Atty, Ass't City Att'y & City Prosecutor/Former Airport Advisory Comm'r To Discuss And Answer Questions On History, Pros, Cons, Potential Risks/Unintended Consequences If Council Were To Allow A LB Airport Fed'l Customs Facility (That Couldn't Be Limited To One User)


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(April 19, 2015, 6:55 a.m.) -- On Monday night April 20, 2015, Neighborhoods First and LBHUSH2 have organized the special public meeting -- and invite residents citywide to attend and bring their neighbors -- regarding the Airport ordinance that protects the City from unlimited flights at all hours on all runways, and a request by airport tenant JetBlue that wants the City (meaning the City Council) to allow a federal inspection (customs) facility at LB Airport [that as practical matter couldn't be limited to one user.]

This special meeting will be held at the EXPO Art Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave. on Monday night, April 20 at 6:30 p.m.

LB's top legal officials -- City Attorney Charles Parkin, Assistant City Attorney Mike Mais and City Prosecutor/former LB Airport Advisory Comm'ner Doug Haubert -- will speak and take questions. Also present will be LBUSH2 co-founder and retired 8th district Councilmember Rae Gabelich. Ms. Gabelich and LBHUSH2 were instrumental in ensuring that LB Airport's permanent terminal facilities were "right-sized" (protecting the Airport's boutique style convenience that travelers enjoy) instead of greatly enlarged ("super-sized") as some in town had advocated.

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In January 2015, the Council held a study session in which City Attorney Parkin, Assistant City Attorney Mais and City Prosecutor Haubert variously noted that LB's Airport Ordinance is an extremely valuable City asset that protects Long Beach from unlimited flights at all hours on all runways. The Council study session was mainly limited to the Ordinance itself and didn't discuss in detail potential risks to the Ordinance or unintended consequences that arguably might result if the City were to allow international flights.

In February 2015, City Prosecutor Haubert. a former Airport Advisory Commission member, testified and took questions at a meeting of LB's Airport Advisory Commission at which he did describe in some detail potential scenarios, risks and unintended consequences he believes could result if the City were to allow international flights. LBREPORT.com was the only LB news outlet to report Mr. Haubert's testimony in detail. (For LBREPORT.com coverage, click here.)

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As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, internal Airport documents (obtained by LBREPORT.com under the CA Public Recods Act) show that basically throughout 2013, LB's now-exited Airport manager and current Airport staff worked (without Council voted approval) to lay the groundwork for Council action on international flights. (For LBREPORT.com coverage, click here.) Airport management informed the now-former Mayor and Council in two summary memos in the latter half of 2013 of what it was doing, but Councilmembers and the Mayor didn't mention the developments publicly entering the 2014 election cycle.

The internal Airport documents indicate that both JetBlue and Airport management assumed that international flights would operate within the terms of LB's Airport ordinance. However the documents don't indicate any discussion of potential risks or unintended consequences to the City's ordinance. Those risks, which some in the city adamantly deny, include whether allowing a federal customs facility would give multiple international operators -- cargo and passenger planes -- an opportunity to seek LB flight slots (that they can't use without a customs facility) and are currently filled and unavailable under LB's Airport Ordinance.

Although JetBlue officials were candid in 2014 about their company's desire for international flights, LB Airport management initially sought to portray the Airport's actions as merely preliminary. However the internal Airport documents reported by LBREPORT.com show that the work conducted by now-exited Airport management was fairly extensive...and not publicly transparent.

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Following the Council's January 2015 study session and Mr. Haubert's Feb. 2015 Airport Advisory Commission testimony, Councilmembers Al Austin and Roberto Uranga agendized an item for the March 3, 2015 City Council meeting, enacted on a 4-3 Council vote, that directed Airport and city management to halt/pause any work on international flights until 60 days after a new 4th district Councilmember takes office. (The vote was: Yes: Price, Uranga, Austin, Richardson; No: Lowenthal, Mungo, Andrews [4th dist vacant, Gonzalez out on maternity leave.]

Councilwoman Mungo and Vice Mayor Lowenthal made a substitute motion that would have had let staff continue to do what it had been doing basically in secret from the public. Councilwoman Mungo said she wanted to use what she called resulting staff "data" as a basis for conducting public outreach meetings. However Airport commissioned studies (visible among the internal Airport documents) show that Airport management had focused nearly entirely on fiscal costs/benefits for the Airport, not potential impacts on homeowners, pollution, property values and property tax revenue.

Facing a Council audience filled with residents carrying signs supporting the Austin-Uranga item, Councilwoman Mungo said bringing the item forward was "pandering to this crowd."

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Austin and Uranga pressed their original intent, which they described as having a Council-driven process (in contrast to a Mungo-Lowenthal substitute which sought to continue a staff driven process)...and the Austin-Uranga motion for a pause prevailed.

On April 14, 2015 Daryl Supernaw won the 4th district Council election and is expected to be sworn-in in early May. At some point after early July 2015, the Council is expected to discuss and instruct city management on what issue(s) it seeks information and wishes to explore and discuss in detail -- with public input -- before voting on whether to allow international flights. City management has indicated that preparing that information will likely take several months, meaning a decisional vote on whether or not to allow a federal customs facility would come in early 2016.

Neighborhoods First/LBHUSH2 Special Community Meeting
April 20, 2015, 6:30 p.m.
EXPO Art Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave.
Pros, Cons, Risks And Potential Unintended Consequences Re Allowing Fed'l Customs Facility Enabling Int'l Flights (Which Couldn't Be Limited To Single Operator) and LB's Airport Ordinance (Which Protects City From Unlimited Flights At All Hours On All Runways)



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