Ballot Item on Expansion of LAX Urged

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, attempting to steal the thunder from advocates of the Los Angeles International Airport expansion, announced Friday that he will seek a ballot measure allowing county voters to weigh in on the future of regional air traffic.

Antonovich, who represents the area around the Palmdale airport, has long pushed for that facility to grow exponentially and absorb the increase in air traffic anticipated for Southern California. That effort is resisted by the airlines and others, who say that Palmdale is too far away from the concentration of residents.

Antonovich’s proposal is for an advisory vote that, while not binding, would perform a bit of political mischief. It would allow voters to express their preference for expanding LAX or, as an alternative, adding to the Palmdale and Ontario airports, which are also owned by the city of Los Angeles.

Given the political geography, that alternative would start with a leg up. There is no geographic center of support for LAX expansion, whose benefits are potentially huge but diffuse, while there are strong pockets of opposition, particularly in adjacent communities. Though business interests and others might fight to defeat the Palmdale and Ontario option, it could start with an advantage and increase political problems for LAX supporters.

If other members of the county board approve Antonovich’s proposal at their meeting next week, it will appear on the November ballot.

Cam Currier, an aide to Antonovich, said he could not predict how the board would vote, but added that the supervisor is optimistic.

“Why would anybody vote no on this?” Currier asked. “There’s nothing lost by finding out what people want.”

However, the mayors of Los Angeles and Palmdale are opposed to Antonovich’s proposal.

“The mayor’s priority is expanding LAX as part of a regional approach to expanding air traffic capacity,” said Noelia Rodriguez, press secretary for Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. That approach includes some expansion of the Palmdale facility, she added, but not as a substitute for dramatic growth at LAX.

Additionally, Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, an ardent advocate of expanding the airport in his city, said progress is being made on adding to that facility and views Antonovich’s suggestion as a distraction.

“We certainly appreciate Supervisor Antonovich’s efforts to draw attention to what we’re doing,” he said, “but we think we’re making good progress with the [Los Angeles] Department of Airports.”

Under the master plan for LAX, the airport would nearly double in passenger capacity, from about 58 million passengers a year to 98 million passengers. It also would add millions of square feet of cargo space. Although the precise configuration of a larger LAX has not been completed, the expansion promises to be expensive, with estimates ranging from $8 billion to $12 billion--an amount that dwarfs projects such as the city’s subway system.

Riordan has championed airport expansion as key to the future of Southern California’s growth. Thousands of jobs would be created during the construction, and thousands more would result from the region’s increased capacity to serve world markets.

Nevertheless, opposition to the LAX expansion is fierce in some communities that abut the airport. Residents argue that they have borne the brunt of noise and pollution long enough, and want additional air traffic to move to Palmdale as long as that city wants it. The Palmdale Airport also has significantly more land than LAX, which proponents say makes it an attractive site for expansion.

Without exception, however, airline executives say Palmdale is an impractical solution. At the moment, the airport there supports virtually no commercial traffic, and airlines say expanding the facility would not change that situation.

The support of the airlines for any major airport expansion is essential because they will be asked to foot much of the bill. What’s more, they cannot be forced to use an airport that they believe will fail.

In a statement announcing his proposed ballot measure, Antonovich challenged the perception that Palmdale is too far away to be a viable major airport. And he touted further expansion of the Ontario airport, which is undergoing significant growth.

“Over 3 million people live closer to Palmdale than LAX,” Antonovich said. “Also, this claim has been made against successful airports such as Dulles [outside Washington, D.C.], Denver, Kansas City and Dallas/Fort Worth. A population base of 3.5 million people resides within a reasonable driving radius of Palmdale Airport.”