Group Gathers Enough Signatures to Force Election on Airport Noise
A citizens group collected enough signatures to force a special election on nighttime curfews and a mandatory flight cap at the airport, the city clerk said Tuesday.
Petitions submitted by the group, Restore Our Airport Rights, contain the signatures of 15% of the city’s registered voters--the amount needed to call a special municipal election, Burbank City Clerk Judie Sarquiz said. Of more than 10,000 signatures submitted, 7,814 were verified, she said.
The next step is for the City Council to call the election.
“To reach this milestone will give us a boost to go into the next phase,” said Howard Rothenbach, ROAR chairman and a candidate for Burbank City Council.
The measure would require a ban at Burbank Airport on all nonemergency air traffic from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. It would also place a 10% cap on expanding the number of flights or passengers.
The initiative also would prohibit the airport from changing or modifying its existing runways. The city would be allowed to grant zoning changes or financing for the airport only after these provisions are met.
The initiative also would require an increase in the number of votes needed for local approval of an airport development project, from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority.
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