San Fernando Valley : Travel Cost of Airport Officials Detailed

Tours of a dormant volcano in Hawaii for $50 each. A $50 ocean cruise. Two limousine rides at $105 each.

Burbank airport commissioners were reimbursed for those expenses with airport funds, according to new records given to the Los Angeles County Grand Jury that show a total of $130,000 paid to commissioners for business-related travel between 1992 and 1995.

The records, obtained under the California Public Records Act, show that an additional $15,094 was spent by the airport’s executive director, Tom Greer, Controller Dios Marrero and a handful of airport staff workers who also travel on business.

The new records were turned over for a grand jury investigation of alleged misuse of public funds.

Beyond pricey hotel rooms, tours and tips, expense reports submitted by commissioners and staffers contain items such as first-class air fares, five limousine rides, a fashion show and two trolley rides in Boston.

After The Times obtained and disclosed a partial list of travel expenses, the authority’s new president, Carl W. Raggio Jr., pledged to end first-class air travel by commissioners and to discontinue the practice of paying for travel for spouses of commissioners. Of the 57 expense reports submitted by Burbank airport commissioners and presented to the grand jury in the first round of reports in June, 22 were for first-class travel and 13 included spouses.

Reacting to the new expense reports this week, Raggio pledged to apply the new rules to the airport’s staff as well.