Westside : AIRPORT ACQUISITIONS

A decision by the Board of Airport Commissioners may give the Department of Airports an edge when it negotiates to buy property near the Los Angeles International Airport.

The Board of Airport Commissioners voted Tuesday to give the executive director of the Department of Airports the authority to enter into preliminary discussions with jet-rattled residents and other property owners who want to sell and move out of the area. The decision also applies to property surrounding the Ontario International, Van Nuys and Palmdale airports.

In the past, the executive director first had to get permission from the Board of Airport Commissioners to talk with property owners about the feasibility of acquiring their property, said Cora Fossett, a spokeswoman for the Department of Airports. In doing so, the department also had to reveal the price it was willing to pay for property and, thus, lost leverage to negotiate fair prices, Fossett said.