Bad Ruling on Burbank Airport Noise

Judge Robert I. Weil agreed with the Burbank Airport attorneys and ruled that after more than five years it was too late to sue for damages from airport noise. Well, I suppose after more than five years there is no more airport noise and if someone wants to buy property in the airport vicinity and would ask the broker: “What noise do I hear?” the broker would reply with a blank look on his face: “What noise?”

Also, I would like to remind some people who have conveniently forgotten it that the neighborhood had protested the opening of the airport from inception.

Now we have a judge who is possibly on his way to go down in history with a ruling that will never be forgotten. Judge Weil’s ruling, which hopefully will be overturned, opens the way for the Burbank Airport to expand at will.

The airport’s location is less than ideal at best. Located in some of the San Fernando Valley’s prime residential areas, the takeoff pattern cuts a swath over Glendale, Universal City, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana and Van Nuys. The landing pattern cuts its swath over Canoga Park, Reseda, Northridge, Sepulveda, Van Nuys, North Hollywood and Glendale.

We have witnessed what airport noise and vibrations can do to a neighborhood around LAX. We saw Playa del Rey and some of the adjoining neighborhoods fall in the path of progress. But that was “difficult to avoid.”

It is not too late to stop the same disaster from happening to our neighborhoods (people have to live somewhere) and you can’t say that you are not being warned. It is time to wake up and stop this cancer from growing so that we can start cleaning the air from the noise and smog created by aircraft and automobiles. Another side effect of the airport is the additional traffic, which is strangling our roads.

KARL GOTTESFELD

Encino