Alaska Airlines Repays County for Expenses

Less than two weeks after making a request for reimbursement, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and other county agencies have received a check from Alaska Airlines for $199,497.45, officials reported Monday.

The payment is for overtime and other expenses incurred by county employees who assisted in the aftermath of Flight 261, which crashed Jan. 31 off the coast of Port Hueneme and killed all 88 people aboard.

“This is remarkable how fast the company turned this around,” said Eric Nishimoto, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman.

Sheriff Bob Brooks and the county’s chief administrative officer made the request to the airline company April 4 and received a reimbursement check last Thursday, Nishimoto said.

A large portion of the money will be used to cover the pay of deputies who worked hundreds of hours of overtime assisting the families of victims and officials from other county, state and federal agencies who responded.

Kathy Long, who chairs the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, on Monday lauded county employees and the airline company.

“I am very appreciative of the solid corporate response,” Long said, adding that she was also “proud of Ventura County’s response to this tragedy, both our emergency response teams and our caring citizens.”