Ledford plans push for Regional Airport

What it says is that during the next 20 years or so, the airport will see flat growth at about 1%, according to Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford.

The Los Angeles Department of Airports was instrumental in the hearings to bring a future high-speed rail line through the Antelope Valley, and the area will need good transportation in the next 20 years, he said.

However, airport officials need to be convinced that transportation needs include development of the Palmdale airport, Ledford said.

Bringing high-speed rail through the Antelope Valley could be a blueprint for achieving success by showing airport officials that Palmdale can solve some of the airport's problems without affecting its ability to make money, Ledford said.

To achieve that goal in 1997, Ledford said he will call on regional partners, individual members of the department of airports and Los Angeles city council members. "We need to show what we can do for them," he said.

By working to prove Palmdale can be part of the solution, Ledford, Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts and the Antelope Valley Regional Partnership can work to build a relationship with Los Angeles officials and rewrite a bigger role for the Antelope Valley, Ledford said.

"Airport department officials asked us to participate in the master plan and nothing happened. I'm not excited about what I have seen of the master plan to date," he said.

"But, OK, now they will have to work to get it approved. It leaves a perfect arena to challenge their assumptions and build a strong case," he said. "This is what we do best. We welcome the opportunity."

City airports in Van Nuys, Burbank and, to a lesser extent, Ontario, have come under fire from some community members who don't like the noise.

But at Palmdale's Plant 42, where Palmdale Regional Airport is located, there is no residential encroachment and there are agreements to protect the area around the airport to preserve its aerospace roots, he said.

Educating members of the department of airports and the Los Angeles City Council about the facilities already here, in addition to the 17,000 undeveloped acres the department of airports owns here, might be one of the challenges, he said.

"It frustrates me because we know what we have," the Palmdale mayor said.

The Antelope Valley's recently approved air quality district could play some role in showing that Palmdale is a viable option for cargo and other air operations, alleviating pressure on the packed Los Angeles airport, he said.

"We can be a relief valve without threatening their economic development, the Palmdale mayor said.

First steps already have been made to connect with Los Angeles officials. Ledford, Roberts and several other officials met with representatives from Los Angeles Councilwoman Ruth Galanter's office.

Galanter opposes expanding LAX and has told Antelope Valley leaders in the past they must lobby if they want Palmdale to become part of the traffic congestion solution for L.A's airport.

As many as 10,000 homes will have to be claimed for Los Angeles International Airport to expand, Roberts said. In addition, there are no plans for increased ground transportation, which, the Lancaster mayor added, is already overburdened.