Voters Defeat Measure to Prevent SM From Altering Airport

The Santa Monica City Council in California will retain the right to make decisions about the city’s airport now that voters have defeated a proposal backed by national aviation interests.

At issue was a dispute over the noise and pollution generated by the small but busy airport. Though there is no scheduled passenger service, 95,000 flights operate in or out of the airport every year — 15 percent of those are private or business jets.

The 227-acre airport is bordered on three sides by residences, and noise from the jets has troubled the neighbors since the mid-1960s.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the National Business Aviation Association were supporting a measure to require the airport to operate without significant changes, unless approved by voters. The proposal would have effectively prevented the city from acting to diminish traffic or to close the airport, which it has owned since 1926.

Square Feet: The Noise Near This Airport’s Runway Is Getting LouderOCT. 28, 2014

The Santa Monica City Council has been studying various alternative uses for the airport. Even though 59 percent of voters ratified the council’s ability to make decisions about the airport, the issue is far from settled.

The Federal Aviation Administration says that Santa Monica must continue to operate the airport.