Burbank Airport Panel Agrees to Night Meeting

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, faced with a threat by the city of Burbank to televise the authority’s proceedings, has agreed to hold its first night meeting next month and to consider holding quarterly night meetings to encourage public attendance.

Leland Ayers, vice president of the airport’s governing board, said the board agreed Monday to hold its first night meeting Sept. 18.

“I’m very pleased and excited,” said Ayers, long an advocate of night meetings. “I think it’s a step forward in being more accessible to the general public. I think we’re on a new direction.”

Ayers said the airport board will vote Aug. 21 on whether to hold regular quarterly night meetings. The authority now meets at 9 a.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month.

Repeated Requests

The nine-member board in the past has refused repeated requests by the city of Burbank to switch its regular morning meetings to evenings so more people could attend.

In response, the Burbank City Council voted in June to authorize the videotaping and delayed broadcast on community cable TV of authority meetings, with or without the cooperation of the authority. That action led to a recent private meeting between Burbank Mayor Robert R. Bowne and Airport Authority President Robert Garcin on the issue.

Some members of the authority expressed fears that broadcasting its meetings would encourage more disruptions by gadflies, who regularly attend to harangue the members.

At the airport authority’s meeting Monday, Garcin proposed holding the board’s first night meeting Sept. 18. Although no vote was taken, none of the panel’s members objected.

Garcin could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Bowne, however, said he was pleased that the authority had agreed to hold an evening meeting next month. “I think it’s an excellent step,” he said. “I think it will give people who reside in the community a chance to go and voice their concerns.”

Confident of Approval

Ayers said he is confident that the board will approve quarterly night meetings. However, he declined to say whether he will continue to push for the board to conduct all meetings at night.

“We have to take it one step at a time,” Ayers said. “I think the best thing to do now is to determine our success rate and participation” at evening meetings.

Members of some anti-noise groups said they welcome the prospect of night meetings. “It’s better than nothing,” said Richard Close of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. “But there’s no reason why all the meetings cannot be held at night.”