Congressmen Go for Second Try on Curfew for Airports

Three congressmen representing the San Fernando Valley are seeking mandatory curfews at Van Nuys Airport and Bob Hope Airport. Reps. Brad Sherman, Adam Schiff and Howard Berman sent a letter to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to include the Valley-Wide Noise Relief Act into the bill for funding the Federal Aviation Administration. Both Bob Hope, in Burbank, and Van Nuys have voluntary nighttime curfews. The issue of noise generated by jets at the airfields has long been a contentious one for residents and city government officials. In November 2009, the FAA turned down an application for a mandatory 10 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. curfew (except for emergency and medical flights) at Bob Hope, saying the airport had failed to meet four of the six criteria. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority spent $7 million to put together its application for the curfew. Van Nuys is currently going through the same FAA process to get a curfew. This is the second time that Schiff (D-Glendale), Berman (D-North Hollywood) and Sherman D-Sherman Oaks) have attempted to get a curfew attached the FAA Reauthorization bill. Last summer they sent a similar letter to the transportation and infrastructure committee but the reauthorization bill was never passed into law. “We are very grateful for the continuing efforts of Congressmen Schiff, Sherman and Berman to secure federal legislation on this important issue,” says City Manager Michael Flad. “Our elected officials continue to show their commitment and understanding of the decades-old need for nighttime noise relief.” Mark R. Madler