Subway funds to support airport?

Get the money from the subway.

Antonovich said efforts are under way now to qualify a proposition for the November general election ballot to require that certain tax money be used only for above-ground transportation projects.

"This would cut off funding for the (L.A. Metropolitan Transportation Agency) subway," Antonovich said. "All this can be used for improved bus and light-rail service."

Antonovich pitched the political initiative in discussions with Antelope Valley leaders following his luncheon speech to the AV Bar Association at the Essex House in Lancaster.

While Palmdale Regional Airport has a terminal, gates, runways and taxiways at the site it shares with Air Force Plant 42, ground infrastructure - or lack of it - has been used as an argument against making Palmdale a part of the planned expansion of Los Angeles International Airport.

"When they talk of improving LAX, they are talking about $12 billion in infrastructure," Antonovich said. "Those are dollars we could use here."

Antonovich has been meeting lately with Antelope Valley leaders who are wondering how much influence they and their constituents will have in directing serious Department of Airports master planning attention toward Palmdale.

In addition to the joint-use agreement with the Air Force for up to 200 operations a day at Palmdale Regional Airport, the Department of Airports owns 17,000 acres of undeveloped airport site east of Palmdale.

Some Antelope Valley officials voiced concerns about the control that Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and the Federal Aviation Administration have over the process as it involves Palmdale.

"How is it that Riordan can have that degree of control over an airport that is needed here in Palmdale?" Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts asked. "We can't figure out how he has control over LAX."

Roberts added, "The FAA seems not to be concerned about the local regions like ours but about big airports like LAX."

FAA spokesman Mitch Barker said the federal agency is waiting for the release of the LAX Master Plan before commenting specifically on airport expansion here.

"The FAA is in favor of increasing the number of reliever airports," Barker said without specific reference to Palmdale. "The more reliever airports, the easier it is."

Riordan supports the still-developing LAX Master Plan, which published reports state would double the traffic capacity of that airport.