(October 31, 2004) -- A prominent Long Beach lawyer, who has urged greater caution over city management plans to significantly expand LB Airport's permanent terminal area facilities, alerted Sacramento legislators months ago to problems with Orange County's computer voting system...a matter that will be put to the test in the historic upcoming November 2 election.

Doug Haubert, an ELB/4th district homeowner and member of LB's "Airport Advisory Commission," testified earlier this year before the state Senate's Elections and Reapportionment Committee in Sacramento concerning issues that arose in OC's computer voting system during the March 2004 election.

In an extemporaneous but methodical presentation, Commissioner Haubert argued that applying "industry standards" could undercut features that many people applaud and desire at LB Airport, including its compact size and short walking distances.

"[Some critics] have compared our Airport to a "third world" airport. Well you know what, I've heard a lot more people praise our airport. I've heard a lot more people talk about the convenience of the Long Beach Airport. They don't have to walk a mile to get to their flight.

I think you're trading. I think it'd be convenient to have more seats, and it'd be convenient to have more concession space, but you're giving up the convenience of having the short walks from the parking to the gates through the terminal. There are conveniences that we are going to be giving up...

...I've heard a lot of people say they love our Airport. Our Airport is a very good airport and...we've made more efficient use of the space...

[Airport management's recommended expansion sizes] so far have been based on what have been described as "industry standards"...Well you know what, industry standards are suggested guidelines to follow.

And if we followed "industry standards" there'd be no Belmont Shore. There'd be no Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena or the Santa Monica Main Street. The "industry standard" would say with that number of shops you would need twice, three times as much parking, the streets would have to be four lanes instead of two lanes...You know what, they created a very pedestrian friendly, attractive shopping destination...[I]f you listen to the planners, it would be upside down; it should be a failure, Belmont Shore should be a failure, Colorado [Blvd. in Pasadena] should be a failure, the Gas Lamp [District] in San Diego should be a failure.

And you know what happened, people looked at that and they saw that actually if you deviate from these "industry standards" you might actually improve on them, and now cities are using those as an examples of what they want they want to do..."

Commissioner Haubert urged approaching expansion of the Airport's permanent in a strategic manner that would help protect and defend LB's Airport noise ordinance:

"...If our fundamental concern is retaining [our local control] I think we have to take strategic steps to make sure that we retain that control. And I don't think there's been any analysis here on the line of strategic planning.

What can we do to put ourselves in a better position?...I do know [that in the future] there's going to be incredible pressure on us...I think we need to get our ducks in order and I think we need to move forward...

...I know this is going to upset a lot of my neighbors and a lot of my friends, I don't think you can just stop at the need and just ignore the wants, because I do think we want to talk about the things that would make Long Beach Airport bigger...This is about convenience. I want to make this Airport more convenient. And that means we are going to have to someday expand the size of this terminal. We are going to have to make the holdrooms bigger. We are going to have to make the baggage claims bigger. We are going to have to go in that direction.

...[But] I see absolutely nothing wrong with...looking at this thing strategically...[O]ne thing we may all agree is a need is and that is to protect our noise ordinance. We have to put that need ahead of our other wants...

...[Airport management's recommendation is]...a monumental, large scale increase, and right now I will say that I don't think the case has been made that this is a need...[Haubert describes what he saw during Airport Advisory Commission visit to the site] I actually did a head count of the seats...50% [of the seats] in the JetBlue holdroom...were empty...[T]here were people standing up and there were people talking and coming in [but] 50% of the seats were empty. We went to the other holdroom, 70% of the seats were empty. Again, people were standing up, people were milling about, but I don't think anybody can tell me that with 50% of the seats empty at the peak hour on one of the peak days which I think were chosen for the purpose of showing us what a "crisis" is there at the airport. I will say it's crowded. I will say it's very crowded. I would not say we're at a crisis point...

[later in presentation]

...We need to call [Airport management's proposal] what this is, and it's not a need, it's a want. This is not a necessity. We have 41 flights coming and going right now, and you know what, it works. JetBlue is doing a great job. Airport staff is doing a great job. It does work.

People compliment our airport. They really do. We get great compliments about our airport. The parking is very convenient. Everything is convenient at the airport. Do I think we could make is better? I think this is a want. I think this is a convenience to the passengers that use Long Beach Airport and I support that. I support making it more convenient for them.

And I do think...I would support making it more convenient by increasing the size of the holdrooms and increasing the size of the concessions. I don't think I would agree with what's on the table here...It may be that some Commissioners want the smallest version. Other Commissioners want the largest version, but right now all we have is the largest version [management's proposal] in my opinion...

[Haubert describes Alternatives he wants to see. Alternative A is Airport management's proposal]...Alternative B would be an alternative that encompasses all of these details but it's scaled down from Alternative A. And the third would be Alternative C which would be even scaled down further from Alternative B.

And the purpose of these three Alternatives is to look at the varying degrees of how this could be expanded. I was going to talk about reducing by 1/3, and then another 1/3 [but] I'm not going to make that because I want staff to put together their thoughts on what could be done.

And again, I really do think...we can talk about this in terms of what really, really is needed. And this may force staff to think more creatively on the use of space efficiently.

But I want to talk about three Alternatives. I'm not going to put any [specific] parameters on staff, other than [Alternative] B should be reduced from what we see before us now [Airport management's proposal], and Alternative C should be reduced from that even further.

And that would be my substitute motion."