- previous
- 1
- 2
- | single page
E-mail
Print
"Just because we're used to them they should stay? That's not right," said Hollander, 55, who lives in Hermosa Beach, where Becker's main store is located.
For many, the tipping point came at a beach volleyball tournament last summer, when the planes seemed as prevalent -- and as close, in some cases -- as mosquitoes. Around the same time, Hollander started posting ads in local newspapers urging a boycott of companies that advertised on the planes.
"We've just had it. Considering the impact on our greatest natural resource . . . it's pure beach pollution," he said. "They are noisy. They are ugly. They are awful."
They are also legal, with limitations. But even that is no simple issue.
The planes, which typically tow signs that are 35 feet tall and 100 feet long at speeds as slow as 40 mph, are regulated by the FAA. But several local governments have tried to take control.
Huntington Beach banned the flights, then backed off in 2002 after an anti-abortion group sued, claiming a 1st Amendment violation.
Honolulu's ban was upheld in 2006 by a federal court, which held that the city's rules could not be preempted by the Feds.
While that case was being appealed, however, the FAA further muddied the waters by tinkering with its own rules -- adding language that simultaneously reasserted control over the airspace while reminding pilots to pay attention to local rules.
Now no one knows what to do.
Mike Jenkins, who has contracted to be Hermosa Beach's city attorney and whose firm also represents Malibu and El Segundo, said the Honolulu case was a "favorable precedent for having the ability under our police powers to ban aerial advertising outright."
But the FAA says Honolulu's rule still has no teeth. "They can ban flying," said agency spokesman Mike Fergus, "but there is no jurisdictional authority."
A regionwide ban in Southern California, meanwhile, would involve a host of municipalities and county governments -- and would almost certainly land in court.
Still, Hollander says there should be "no compromise." And Dobry points out that he's under no legal obligation to "appease the crybabies."
"We follow the rules and regulations. We're safe," he said. "We're here to stay."
That's why, for now, the code of conduct is the best anyone can come up with. This weekend, officials in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach -- the two cities that have been most active in trying to negotiate peace -- will have their eyes on the sky.
"We're making strides," said Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery. "But by no means is this over."
scott.gold@latimes.com
For many, the tipping point came at a beach volleyball tournament last summer, when the planes seemed as prevalent -- and as close, in some cases -- as mosquitoes. Around the same time, Hollander started posting ads in local newspapers urging a boycott of companies that advertised on the planes.
"We've just had it. Considering the impact on our greatest natural resource . . . it's pure beach pollution," he said. "They are noisy. They are ugly. They are awful."
They are also legal, with limitations. But even that is no simple issue.
The planes, which typically tow signs that are 35 feet tall and 100 feet long at speeds as slow as 40 mph, are regulated by the FAA. But several local governments have tried to take control.
Huntington Beach banned the flights, then backed off in 2002 after an anti-abortion group sued, claiming a 1st Amendment violation.
Honolulu's ban was upheld in 2006 by a federal court, which held that the city's rules could not be preempted by the Feds.
While that case was being appealed, however, the FAA further muddied the waters by tinkering with its own rules -- adding language that simultaneously reasserted control over the airspace while reminding pilots to pay attention to local rules.
Now no one knows what to do.
Mike Jenkins, who has contracted to be Hermosa Beach's city attorney and whose firm also represents Malibu and El Segundo, said the Honolulu case was a "favorable precedent for having the ability under our police powers to ban aerial advertising outright."
But the FAA says Honolulu's rule still has no teeth. "They can ban flying," said agency spokesman Mike Fergus, "but there is no jurisdictional authority."
A regionwide ban in Southern California, meanwhile, would involve a host of municipalities and county governments -- and would almost certainly land in court.
Still, Hollander says there should be "no compromise." And Dobry points out that he's under no legal obligation to "appease the crybabies."
"We follow the rules and regulations. We're safe," he said. "We're here to stay."
That's why, for now, the code of conduct is the best anyone can come up with. This weekend, officials in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach -- the two cities that have been most active in trying to negotiate peace -- will have their eyes on the sky.
"We're making strides," said Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery. "But by no means is this over."
scott.gold@latimes.com
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
StumbleUpon
Save more than