Van Nuys : City Urges New Plan to Collect Airport Fines

Taking a cue from Santa Monica, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to try streamlining the collection of fines from jet owners who violate the Van Nuys Airport noise ordinance.

Acting on a motion proposed by City Councilman Mike Feuer, who represents parts of the East Valley, the council urged the city Airport Commission to develop a more effective process for collecting fines when noisy jets violate an 11 p.m.-to-7 a.m. Van Nuys Airport curfew.

The motion also instructs the city attorney’s office to report back to the council about whether the collection process can be otherwise simplified in the manner of Santa Monica Airport.

The substantially smaller and less trafficked Santa Monica Airport has in place a two-month deadline for collection of fines when its curfew is violated, and it does not require violators to meet face to face with a city attorney before fines are paid.

Fine collection at Van Nuys, in contrast, has been sluggish, The Times recently reported. Of the 60 reported curfew violations since 1981, 16 cases--or 27%--are still pending. On average, those cases have languished for 16 months. In another 53% of the cases, fines were paid more than one year after the violations were cited. Feuer attributed that logjam, in part, to an existing provision at Van Nuys requiring violators to meet with a city attorney.

The Van Nuys Airport noise curfew, approved by the council in 1981, affects planes that generate more than 74 decibels of noise on takeoff. Fines for curfew violations range from $750 to $3,500.

For years, airport neighbors have bitterly complained about takeoff noise.

Remedying the situation represents a “very important quality-of-life issue for the residents of the San Fernando Valley,” Feuer said.

His Valley colleague, Councilman Joel Wachs, joined in on the matter, calling for a “top-to-bottom” review of fine collection at the airport.