Author: helgacarr

The Los Angeles City Council Commerce, Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved the LAX modernization plan Thursday, October 7th, and the full Los Angeles City Council will review and vote on the plan Tuesday, October 19th. Approval of the LAX plan requires support from ten of the 15 City Council members. If the City Council approves the plan — which would include a “green-light/yellow-light” consensus proposal initiated by local Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski — the “noncontroversial” portions of the LAX plan would be built at a cost of approximately $3 billion. Proposed noncontroversial green-light projects include a people mover, a consolidated rental car facility, an intermodal transportation center, and moving the southernmost runway 50 feet closer to El Segundo to help eliminate aircraft incursions. Los Angeles World Airport chief financial officer Karen Sisson told the council committee that revenue generated by airline landing fees — approximately $100 to $110 million annually — gate rental, cargo and maintenance facility rental, and airport concessions would pay for the modernization plan. LAX charges some of the lowest landing fees at major U.S. airports. At LAX, fees include $2.71 per thousand pounds of landing weight — as compared with JFK Airport in New York City, which charges $8 to $9 per thousand pounds of landing weight, Sisson said. Sisson said that the cost to the airlines for each departing passenger at LAX is...

The Los Angeles City Council Commerce, Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved the LAX modernization plan Thursday, October 7th, and the full Los Angeles City Council will review and vote on the plan Tuesday, October 19th. Approval of the LAX plan requires support from ten of the 15 City Council members. If the City Council approves the plan — which would include a “green-light/yellow-light” consensus proposal initiated by local Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski — the “noncontroversial” portions of the LAX plan would be built at a cost of approximately $3 billion. Proposed noncontroversial green-light projects include a people mover, a consolidated rental car facility, an intermodal transportation center, and moving the southernmost runway 50 feet closer to El Segundo to help eliminate aircraft incursions. Los Angeles World Airport chief financial officer Karen Sisson told the council committee that revenue generated by airline landing fees — approximately $100 to $110 million annually — gate rental, cargo and maintenance facility rental, and airport concessions would pay for the modernization plan. LAX charges some of the lowest landing fees at major U.S. airports. At LAX, fees include $2.71 per thousand pounds of landing weight — as compared with JFK Airport in New York City, which charges $8 to $9 per thousand pounds of landing weight, Sisson said. Sisson said that the cost to the airlines for each departing passenger at LAX is...

A new lawsuit has been filed against the county, alleging that the county illegally regulates boating in Marina del Rey, illegally obtains funds from boaters in Marina del Rey by inspecting and giving citations and imposing fines, and knowingly causes vessels to be seized for violations under a county ordinance the county should not have adopted as it is worded. A taxpayer class action lawsuit was filed Wednesday, September 29th, in Los Angeles Superior Court against the County of Los Angeles, alleging that the county violated the California Harbors and Navigation Codes by adopting a 1999 county ordinance that violates California state law. The plaintiffs — represented by attorney Richard Fine — are the Coalition to Save the Marina, Inc. a California nonprofit corporation, Donald Klein, an individual, Steve Wyman, an individual, and Stuart Hoffman, an individual. The lawsuit is based on an August 20th letter from David L. Johnson, acting deputy director of the State of California Department of Boating and Waterways to Stan Wisniewski, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors of Beaches and Harbors. The letter states: “Los Angeles County has exceeded its authority under Harbors and Navigation Code Section 660 by adopting this ordinance as it is currently worded.” The letter states that the State Department of Boating and Waterways was not informed of an ordinance adopted by the county in...

Two development projects have been put on hold by the County Marina Design Control Board until an environmental study has been made on an alleged 0.85-acre of federal wetland on a proposed hotel site. The Marina Design Control Board voted to reconsider conceptual approval Thursday, September 23rd, of a proposed redevelopment of Neptune Marina on Marquesas Way in the Marina. But the Design Board continued consideration of a proposal for development of the Woodfin Suite Hotel Vacation Ownership. The two projects are planned on a consolidated parcel. Design Board chair Susan Cloke told County Beaches and Harbors director Stan Wisniewski that she had received information that a wetland existed on the parcel in an e-mail from another government agency. Cloke said the information should have been presented in an original report to the Design Board. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has jurisdiction over federal wetlands in the Marina. Josh Burnham of the regulatory department of the Corps of Engineers said that the county needs to contact his department, the State Fish and Game Department and the State Water Board to apply for a permit as the county has done with other federal wetland sites in the Marina. These agencies would then order an environmental study of the area and if impacts are determined, would request appropriate mitigations, said Burnham. “I’m very concerned to learn this information from a...