Council to Discuss Airline Lease Deal
The City Council tonight will discuss the validity of the Board of Supervisors’ approval of a lease agreement between the county and Mesa Airlines to run a twice-daily flight to Phoenix from the Oxnard Airport.
Oxnard Mayor Manuel Lopez, who put the last-minute item on the agenda, could not be reached for comment Monday.
Last week, county supervisors approved Mesa Airlines’ lease agreement after determining they were unable to deny it based on Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
Council members will discuss whether the lease should have been presented to them before approval.
County Counsel Jim McBride said he saw no basis for such action.
“It’s absolutely the Board of Supervisors that has the jurisdiction,” he said.
Oxnard council members, he added, “are claiming they have the authority to authorize leases, and the answer is absolutely not. There is nothing that says the city has joint jurisdiction over leases.”
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