Runner named to airport committee

Last week, Runner was named vice-chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Long-Term Planning for Commercial and General Aviation Airport Capacity.

Runner, who requested that the committee be created, said he plans to make the state an ally in a strategic battle to establish a regional airport in Palmdale.

The committee will study the growth of the state's airports, weighing the feasibility of expanding bigcity airports - such as Los Angeles International - vs. establishing regional airports, such as one in Palmdale.

The airport in Palmdale closed more than 18 months ago when the last commercial airline, United Express, abandoned flights to LAX.

The first hearing of committee is set for May 7 in Palmdale.

Several other hearings will follow in order to find a solution to the impact of overcrowded airports on communities.

The time and location of the Palmdale hearing is expected to be announced later this month.

Runner said he's confident the committee will recommend that the state make efforts to funnel air traffic flow into outer-region airports, such as Palmdale's in northern Los Angeles County - where the majority of growth in Southern California is expected to occur in the next 20 years.

"It is important for the Legislature to implement a strategic long-term plan for California's overcrowded airports," Runner said. "The time for action on the expansion of L.A. County Airports is now."

Several citizens, including Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, oppose expansion of LAX and support feeding passenger traffic into Palmdale instead.

Chairing the committee will be Assemblyman Scott Wildman, DBurbank, who is also interested in examining the alternatives to expanding Burbank's already overcrowded airport.

He sided with Runner in the request to establish an airport committee.

"There just needs to be an overall plan when it comes to air transportation and cargo," Runner has said. "How many people can you put down the 405 Freeway? "We just need an objective review and a strategic plan done."

Runner has also met with new Caltrans Director Jose Medina to discuss coordinating Caltrans road construction efforts to support vehicle traffic in and out of airports in the future.

Caltrans is the agency that has jurisdiction over airports.

Getting Caltrans involved will also show the advantages of moving away from having larger airports, Runner said.

Southern California Association of Governments predicts that Southern California's population will jump by 43%, or 22.35 million people, by the year 2020, creating insurmountable traffic pressures on airports in Los Angeles and other metropolitan centers.

Northern Los Angeles County's population is expected to shoot up 169% by that same year.

Mark Pisano, SCAG's director, said that by 2020, the Palmdale Regional Airport could easily serve 5 million or more passengers per year if plans for a high-speed train linking the Antelope Valley with Los Angeles materialize.

But current SCAG projections, which allow for expanding LAX, show Palmdale's air traffic growing to only 300,000 passengers per year - a fraction of growth projected for every other commercial airport in Southern California.