Airport Authority Accused of Spending Violations

A week after the state Fair Political Practices Commission accused the city of Burbank of breaking state campaign rules in a dispute with Burbank Airport, documents show the agency is attempting to reach a negotiated settlement with the airport for similar violations.

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority is charged with three counts of violating the state political reform act for its failure to report spending $7,503 in public funds on a newsletter advocating the authority’s position on a proposed airport parking-tax initiative, documents show.

The Fair Political Practices Commission contends the airport authority did not report to the commission its expenditure of public funds on a ballot issue, as state law requires.

Commission documents indicate the agency is trying to reach an agreement that would include a $6,000 fine. If the issue can’t be settled, the matter could eventually land in front of an administrative law judge.

Commission spokesman Gary Huckaby refused to comment on the documents or confirm whether the airport was under investigation, as the documents say. A Burbank Airport spokesman, Victor Gill, confirmed the newsletters were sent to Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena residents last year, but disputed that the airport broke the law.

“Certainly we did the mailings and it was directly from the airport authority to the public, Gill said. “But the issue was whether we registered appropriately with the FPPC before sending out the mailers. The document in question was one of an ongoing series of newsletters,” and the commission took no interest in such mailings in the past, he said.

The political practices commission action follows a move last week charging the Burbank City Council with violations of campaign rules for using $29,000 in taxpayer money to pay for mailers that urged Glendale and Pasadena residents to pressure the city councils of the nearby cities to negotiate with Burbank on the Burbank airport dispute.

The commission charged that six Burbank political leaders--including Mayor David Golonski and Councilmen Bob Kramer, Ted McConkey and Bill Wiggins as well as former Councilwoman Susan Spanos and current Vice-Mayor Stacey Murphy--signed their names to mailings that went out to 45,873 residents of Glendale and Pasadena.

The city of Burbank and council members could pay fines totaling $6,000 if a judge rules in favor of the agency on all counts. But a date for a hearing has not been set.

The airport--run by the semi-independent authority founded by the three cities--wants to build a larger terminal, which Burbank opposes because residents fear it will generate more jet noise. Burbank and the airport have been fighting the issue for years in the courts and political arenas.