Fighting Over Oxnard Airport Won’t Solve the Problem

In talking about the value of Oxnard Airport to the local business community, I have mentioned BMW as an example of a company that did not move facilities to our area because of our relatively poor air service.

The good news is that BMW has built a new facility, and it is contributing dollars and jobs to Oxnard, which is great.

The bad news is that another BMW operation considered relocating to Oxnard but instead chose Ontario because of its excellent air service.

And that’s my point: For some companies, convenient air travel and air freight access are important considerations. Not only did we not get that BMW facility but at about the same time we lost a Mercedes-Benz training center already in Oxnard. It too moved to Ontario, for similar reasons.

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I don’t mean to suggest that these kinds of business considerations are more important than legitimate neighborhood concerns about airport traffic. I do suggest, however, that they merit equal standing as a differing but valid community perspective on the contribution of Oxnard Airport to the well-being of our city.

What troubles me most about the speeches being made at City Council and other public meetings these days is the polarizing, divisive tone they take, leading to factions battling within the Oxnard community.

Commercial use of the runway at Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station represents the solution to the air service dilemma that all of us should be uniting to achieve, for everyone’s benefit. The more we fight over Oxnard Airport, the less energy we bring to bear on the long-term solution.

I support an understanding between proponents and opponents of Oxnard Airport that would get everyone pulling in the same direction, such as:

* Oxnard’s elected leadership should commit to a full-scale effort to persuade the Navy to open the Point Mugu facility for commercial use, and to encourage the enforcement of Federal Aviation Administration-recognized standards governing the types and timing of commercial flights using Oxnard Airport during the transition period.

* In consideration for this, airport opponents should agree to support the Point Mugu campaign and suspend efforts to force closure of the airport, at least until the commercial operations are transferred to Point Mugu.

I can envision a future without Oxnard Airport but, realistically, not until its replacement is functioning. If we tackle our problems in the right order, perhaps we can all get to our goals sooner.

Most communities have no providential alternative like the Point Mugu base to the difficult issues surrounding airport operations. Rather than fighting over the future of Oxnard Airport, we should embrace our good fortune and pursue this solution together.