JetBlue Bucks Backing Indie Committee Backing Candidate Turnbow In Airport-Impacted 8th District Race, Carrier Wants Council To Allow Customs Facility Opposed by Candidate Angel, former Councilwoman Gabelich and Incumbent Austin...And Turnbow Has Stated He Opposes Int'l Flights

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JetBlue also gave sums to indie committee backing 2nd dist. candidate Garnica and directly to 6th dist. incumbent Andrews; two years ago supported 5th dist. candidate Mungo

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(April 4, 2016, updated Apr. 7 to include Turnbow response) -- JetBlue Airways has contributed $1,000 to an independent expenditure committee seeking to elect Wesley Turnbow in the Airport-impacted 8th Council district. Records filed with the LB City Clerk show that on March 14, the airline's "crewmember PAC" gave $1,000 to an independent expenditure committee -- "Long Beach Citizens for Good Government" -- not controlled by Turnbow but independently supporting his election in the 8th district race.

Immediate past 8th district Councilwoman and LBHUSH2 co-founder Rae Gabelich has endorsed Laurie Angel in the 8th district race. Ms. Gabelich has pointedly declined to support a second term for incumbent Al Austin, who voted against but failed to stop a July 2015 Council-majority from proceeding with a "feasibility" study for a customs facility at LB Airport. . .

[Scroll down for further below.]

Candidate Angel has publicly hammered incumbent Austin for failing to disclose August and Nov. 2013 memoranda sent to Councilmembers informing them that JetBlue had asked the Airport to prepare a feasibility study on a customs facility (which Airport management was doing without Council voted approval.) In 2013, no Councilmembers, including now-Mayor Robert Garcia who's endorsed Austin, disclosed the Airport memos, effectively keeping the issue out of the 2014 citywide election cycle. In the 2014 election cycle, JetBlue contributed sums to help elect Stacy Mungo in the 5th Council district, who went on to make the July 2015 motion to conduct the feasibility study for the customs facility.

As reported (first again) last month by LBREPORT.com, significant differences (not reported by other outlets) surfaced on the Airport during a March 9, 2016 candidate forum sponsored by the Los Cerritos Neighborhood Association. At that event, candidate Turnbow said he opposed international flights and has printed signs stating that he opposes international flights. However at the March 9 candidate forum, he said the key was "managing" the noise ordinance...and cited the interests of some Airport tenants. "JetBlue has been a great citizen; you have to work with them," Mr. Turnbow said. He cited Aeroplex's general aviation facility and said "we've got to work with these people...you don't just say 'against, against' and then wonder why the FAA comes knocking on your door one day...I've spent my life on boards and working these kind of deals." Mr. Turnbow left unclear what he meant by "managing" the ordinance or working "deals" with Airport tenants.

April 7 update: Turnbow Campaign Adds This Re His Statement At March 9 Candidate Forum On "Managing" LB Airport Ordinance And Our Statement About It

Incumbent Austin noted he'd voted against the feasibility study but candidate Angel said Austin's vote alone was insufficient to meet the task. "You have to get the rest of the City Council on board...You can't just passively sit back, say you're against [international flights]...[W]e have to do something about it, and I believe that I can bring the leadership that will do that."

Ms. Angel said Councilman Austin knew about Airport actions related to the customs facility in August and November 2013 [via Airport management's memos] but didn't move to stop them at the time, charging he had let the proposal advance to its current status.

"Our incumbent [Austin] had knowledge of the international facility way back in 2013 but failed to inform the community, to engage you and let you know that this occurred," Ms. Angel said. "If he had been more proactive, then we might have been able to put the stops to such an action...[but now] there is all kinds of momentum built up for the international facility and now we're going to have to figure out how to put the brakes on..."

If the Council were to allow a customs facility, it couldn't be limited to one operator, effectively inviting an entirely new class of cargo and passenger operators from international locations to seek LB flight slots. All flight slots for aircraft over 75,000 pounds are currently filled under LB's Airport ordinance. The ordinance protects LB from unlimited numbers of flights at all hours; put another way, if any operator were to seek slots not available under the ordinance, and successfully challenge the limits in court, LB could permanently lose its current ability to protect the City from unlimited numbers of flights at all hours on all runways. JetBlue has said it intends to operate in full compliance with the ordinance...but it is a fact that JetBlue can't control the actions of other international operators if the City Council effectively gave them the opportunity to seek LB flight slots.

The $1,000 given by JetBlue to the independent committee "Long Beach Citizens for Good Government" is listed on two separate 496 forms filed by the independent committee reflecting its support for the election of candidate Turnbow in the 8th district and for the election of candidate Garnica in the 2nd Council district. JetBlue also gave $400 directly to Council incumbent Dee Andrews' campaign for a write-in effort for a third Council term.

The "Long Beach Citizens for Good Government" independent expenditure committee has been criticized by some for a mailer urging a vote for candidate Turnbow by showing a faceless image of a person in a "hoodie" that some said smacked of racial overtones in criticizing incumbent Austin for 8th district crime increases. The same committee also sent a mailer promoting candidate Garnica by attacking candidate 2nd district candidate Eric Gray with content he said is false, misleading and inaccurate.

Independent expenditure committees can't legally coordinate or have contacts with candidates or their campaigns; they are required to function as separate entities legally and operationally..

LBREPORT.com was first (again) to report on contributions received by the "Long Beach Citizens for Good Government" committee in mid-March. Since then, it has received the contributions from the JetBlue "crewmember PAC" (cited above) as well sums from John Molina ($500, CFO Molina Health Care), the CA Real Estate PAC ($10,000), (Nick) Worthington Ford ($1,000) and Frank Suryan (CEO, Lyon Living.)

Vote by mail ballots are currently flying in the 2nd, 6th and 8th Council districts; election day is April 12.

The text above was updated on April 5 to note that Mr. Turnbow has printed signs stating that he opposes international flights.

The text above was updated on April 8 to note that a $1,000 sum was given by JetBlue to the independent committee which listed it on separate on 496 forms filed to reflect the committee's support for Mr. Turnbow in the 8th district and Ms. Garnica in the 2nd district.