w AOPAACTION 1 STATE AND LOCAL ACTION 1 California AOPA slams L.A.’s attack on Santa Monica The Los Angeles City Council recently passed a resolution to build support for legislative or administrative action to alter the departure path because of safety and air pollution concerns and close flight schools at Santa Monica Municipal Airport. AOPA weighed in with its opposition saying, that the airport has an “impressive safety record” along with operational limitations that mitigate noise, safety, and environmental concerns. “We are disappointed that the Los Angeles City Council has chosen the path of political grandstanding over an opportunity to engage in a serious discussion about resolving community concerns in a way that allows Santa Monica Airport to continue to serve legitimate aeronautical uses, as it is obligated to do,” said Greg Pecoraro, AOPA vice president of airports and state advocacy. The resolution claims that the departure path for Santa Monica Airport intersects with those used at Los Angeles International Airport, creating delays in which jets at Santa Monica idle on the airport and “spew high concentrations of air emissions into neighboring West Los Angeles communities.” It also cites safety concerns of having six flight schools at the airport, claiming that they “expose the densely populated local neighborhoods to potential safety hazards of pilot errors or inexperience in aircraft overhead.” AOPA asked to take part in discussionhttp://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/region/santamonica