Burbank Seeks More Airport Clout

Councilwoman Mary Lou Howard and City Atty. Douglas Holland will try to convince the governing bodies of Glendale and Pasadena that Burbank should have more control over operation of the airport the three cities govern.

Burbank officials have expressed growing dissatisfaction with the shared control of the Burbank Airport, run by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, a nine-member board made up of three representatives from each city.

Howard said Tuesday night--after the City Council decided to send her and Holland as emissaries to the other cities--that the situation has reached the boiling point because of residents’ complaints about airport noise.

“All we’re trying to do is make sure Burbank has some safeguards,” Howard said.

3-1 Vote

The Burbank City Council voted 3 to 1 to try to persuade its airport partners to accept a three-part modification to the airport joint-powers agreement. Councilwoman Mary Kelsey voted against the measure but did not explain why.

The proposal must be approved by the governing bodies of the three cities before the airport authority can consider it.

Burbank’s proposal calls for the airport to abide by all of Burbank’s regulations and ordinances, for using airport revenues to pay for soundproofing of homes in South Burbank and for a majority vote of each city’s delegation to the airport authority for any operational change that would worsen noise.

“We’re not trying to stonewall or be difficult,” Burbank Councilman Robert R. Bowne said. “We just want to see these things resolved. We have been trying to open up a dialogue with Pasadena and Glendale and we deserve to have this dialogue.”

Burbank officials contend that because the airport is in their city and they receive most noise and congestion complaints, they should have more control over airport operations.

“What goes on at that airport really affects this city,” Howard said. “The cities of Pasadena and Glendale . . . only benefit. It’s not in their back yard.”

Cold Reception Expected

But Glendale and Pasadena officials tend to look at the airport as a regional resource, and Burbank’s proposal is not expected to be favorably received by the two cities’ governing bodies.

Glendale Mayor Carl W. Raggio, an airport commissioner, has said that Burbank’s proposal “doesn’t have that much in the way of content or merit.”

Airport authority members from Glendale and Pasadena and airport officials have accused Burbank of using the proposed changes to the joint-powers agreement as a bargaining chip, which Burbank officials do not deny.

“This is the only vehicle that we have that’s available,” said Holland, who authored the changes at Howard’s request.

“They say we’re using leverage--well, what else do we have?” Howard asked.

Both Glendale and Pasadena last year approved an earlier modification to the joint-powers agreement, which consisted of minor revisions and a clarification of the airport’s right to take commercial or industrial property through eminent domain.

Burbank has not approved that modification.