Council balances Measure B talk
The Nov. 8 general election is fewer than four weeks away, and some Burbank residents still have questions about a contested replacement terminal project at Hollywood Burbank Airport.
After a lengthy back-and-forth between council members, they agreed to have an information-only agenda item for a meeting on Tuesday to answer the questions posed to city officials.
Burbank’s roughly 104,000 residents will weigh in on Measure B, a ballot measure that asks them whether a new 355,000-square-foot, 14-gate terminal should be built at the airfield, and the existing terminal would be demolished.
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However, a handful of residents told council members on Tuesday that Measure B was rushed onto the ballot and that there are still many unknowns about the project.
Resident Frank Macchia said there has not been enough public input and that he was concerned about several possible impacts of the project, including an increase in air and noise pollution, additional traffic in the city and the location where the new terminal would be constructed.
“I’m concerned about the rush to pass Measure B, as I feel that there hasn’t been enough public discourse between the residents and the City Council regarding what this measure will do to the quality of life to Burbank residents,” he said.
David Spell, Macchia’s neighbor, concurred with the points Macchia made, adding that he is unsure if Burbank residents will have the power to approve the final design plans of the proposed terminal.
Under the original Measure B, passed in 2000, it required voter approval for any relocated or expanded terminal at Hollywood Burbank Airport.
Spell said that he reached out to City Atty. Amy Albano about his concern, and she replied that the 2000 Measure B would not be affected by the upcoming ballot measure.
“This is a very important question that needs to be answered ahead of the election,” Spell said. “If the new Measure B passes, will voters be able to approve the final plan or will that power be lost on Nov. 8?”
During the council members’ responses to public comments, Albano said that she would volunteer to answer the questions that residents brought up that night. However, the discussion snowballed into a few council members asking that an item be put on the following meeting’s agenda to publicly address residents’ concerns about the project.
City Manager Ron Davis warned council members that if they were to have an agenda item about Measure B, it would have to be an informational report only. He added that they are not allowed to take sides or get into a debate on the ballot measure, fearing that they might violate state Fair Political Practices Commission rules.
“I’m happy to have us do that and agendize it, but I think there needs to be direction from council that we are not going to allow that to happen or we’re going to have a problem next week,” Davis said. “I’m happy to get the answers out there and post them on the Web and read them on the record, but there needs to not be a debate. That turns it into something that we’re not supposed to do.”
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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
