Memo Contradicts Burbank’s Public Stance

In an internal memo that somehow made it into a public file, lawyers for the city of Burbank acknowledged that the Burbank Airport has made strides in reducing aircraft noise over the last four years.

The memo, marked “privileged,” appeared in a file of documents prepared for residents researching local issues.

It confirmed that the size of the noise impact area around the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport--located in Burbank--had declined since a court hearing was held to determine noise impacts in 1994.

Supporters of the airport’s controversial expansion plans were quick to point out that the memo contradicted the city’s public stance of belittling the airport’s noise reduction efforts.

“It shows that Burbank lawyers and city officials are aware of the reductions in noise achieved by the airport but they are telling the public something completely different,” said airport spokesman Sean McCarthy. “This is the first time the city has said that noise is not as big a problem this year as it has been in years past.”

Burbank counsel Peter Kirsch declined to comment on the content of what he called a “confidential legal document,” and he would not speculate on how it reached the public file.

But he said past efforts by the airport to reduce noise had nothing to do with how the city would handle the problem in the future.

“There was a long period, about 10 years or maybe longer, noise decreased,” said Kirsch said. “However, that noise is now increasing for the reason that all of the benefits of the airport noise program have already been realized.”

In a statement released Friday, the city called the airport authority’s noise reduction program “little more than window dressing,” and added that airport officials had made “little real effort to address the [noise] problem.”

In coming months, an administrative law judge will be deciding if the airport is in compliance with state noise rules.

Airport officials have launched a program to insulate 2,200 neighboring homes from the noise.

The debate over noise is part of a long-running battle between opposing forces on airport expansion.

In a recent major court decision, Superior Court Judge Carl J. West ruled in February that the city of Burbank had lost its powers to block airport expansion under the state Public Utilities Code because it had signed an agreement to run the airport under a joint-powers authority with Glendale and Pasadena.

Despite that ruling, which is being appealed by Burbank, city leaders said noise remains a key issue.

“The noise waxes and wanes depending on variables,” said Burbank City Councilman Ted McConkey. “But the fact remains there is a serious noise problem for the people who live closest to the airport. Why do you think they are trying to soundproof well over 2,000 homes?”