Glendale Offers to Sell Its Share in 3-City Airport

Piqued by what she regards as a high-handed attempt by Burbank officials to exert greater control over Burbank Airport, Glendale Mayor Ginger Bremberg this week offered to sell Glendale’s one-third share of the airport to the neighboring city.

Burbank officials said they might take her up on the offer.

“If the Burbank City Council wants to control the airport, then they better buy the right to do it,” Bremberg said. “We are more than willing to negotiate the sale of our interest.”

Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena jointly purchased the airport from the Lockheed Corp. in 1978 to keep it operating. Each city appoints three members to the airport authority board, which sets policy for the airport.

The airport, which serves 3 million passengers a year, has announced plans to construct a new terminal capable of handling more than twice that number.

Increase Influence

For the first time since the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority was formed, Burbank officials said in December that they want to increase their influence over the airport’s future, expressing concern over airport expansion and its effect on Burbank residents. Burbank City Atty. Douglas C. Holland said he expects to present options to the Burbank City Council next month, including proposed restrictions on development and parking in and around the airport.

Glendale City Manager James Rez said he and council members were surprised by the move.

“The irony is that Burbank asked this city to help them save the airport,” he said. “It was probably only because Glendale and Pasadena helped them that they were able to save that airport. Obviously, the way for them to get control now is to buy us out.”

William B. Rudell, a former Burbank city councilman who led the campaign to form the airport authority, said Burbank tried unsuccessfully for years to gain support from Los Angeles city and county officials to purchase the airport before Glendale and Pasadena agreed to share the cost of operation and liability.

“Burbank came to us on bended knee and groveled for our help,” Bremberg said. “Now they want to get terribly involved and try to control it. We would like to suggest that we are more than willing to negotiate the sale of our one-third interest back to the City of Burbank.”

Airport Worth $200 Million

Bremberg said she estimates that Glendale’s share of the airport is worth $50 million to $100 million. “We could use the money to do a lot of things for the people in Glendale,” she said. Rez estimated that the airport, which cost $51 million to purchase, is now worth more than $200 million.

But Burbank officials say they doubt that Glendale’s offer to sell would bring that city any windfall revenues. Much of the purchase price was paid from federal grants, Holland said, and none of the cities earns money from the airport, which uses income to pay off bonds issued to finance improvements.

However, he said, Burbank may be willing to consider full acquisition.

Holland said the three cities are reviewing their joint-powers agreement governing airport operations, and “there could be discussion between various agencies about future ownership.” However, he added, sale of Glendale’s share “certainly hasn’t been thrown out on the table yet.”

Carl Meseck, one of Glendale’s three representatives on the airport authority, said he does not expect the three cities to haggle over development at the airport.

“Control is not a factor. We’re trying to serve the public,” he said, adding that supply and demand will dictate development at the airport.

But Burbank Councilwoman Mary Lou Howard said residents of her city fear that the airport will continue growing as demand increases.

“If we are going to have an airport that meets the demand, then that airport is going to become like Los Angeles International. It’s time our council did take a leadership position. The airport is not in Glendale’s backyard or in Pasadena’s backyard, it’s in ours,” Howard said.

She said she welcomes the idea of Burbank taking over the airport operation. “Burbank is the one with all of the headaches, not Glendale and Pasadena,” Howard said.

Pasadena Mayor John Crowley questioned whether Burbank city officials have the power to deal with the airport authority. In the past, Burbank has appointed commissioners opposed to airport expansion and others who have said that the city should not suffer inconvenience from more airport development. But those members have always been a minority on the nine-member board.

‘Serious Doubts’

“I have some serious doubts if the City of Burbank has direct power to control any details of zoning and development, inasmuch as the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority is a separate government entity,” Crowley said. He said he is opposed to any attempts to curtail airport development.

J. C. Schwarzenbach, a Pasadena appointee to the airport authority, also said that the Burbank council “does not control the airport.” He said he feels that the three cities that operate the airport “would not want to upset the apple cart.”

But another Pasadena representative, Jo Heckman, said the authority should listen to Burbank’s concerns. “Burbank should be involved to some extent, since the airport is in their city,” Heckman said. “And I’m sure the commissioners feel the same way as the city--they don’t want the airport to be an international airport.”

Rez said the airport is economically important to all three cities, and “it would be disastrous to lose it.” However, he added, “I’m sure that the Glendale council would entertain the idea of entering into negotiations” to sell the airport to Burbank.

“We could use the money.”

New Terminal Planned

In an earlier interview, Holland said Burbank council members already have met with airport officials to discuss a planned new terminal and projected increases in passenger traffic. Holland said council members are concerned about keeping the busy facility “a community airport and not an international airport.”

The proposed terminal could handle as many as 7.3 million passengers annually and 92,270 takeoffs and landings a year, nearly double last year’s 50,827, according to a study of projected demand at the airport within the next few years.

“Our major problem is battling the concept that Burbank Airport has to have a role in satisfying regional air transportation needs,” Holland said.

“Burbank does not buy into that. This is a community facility. We want to make sure the airport has as little impact as possible on the surrounding Burbank community.”