Ban on Cars at LAX Remains

Heightened concern among federal officials about security at Los Angeles International Airport led the city Airport Commission on Tuesday to extend for at least one more week the ban on private vehicles in the central terminal area.

The decision came as a surprise to many airport officials, who spent the last week drafting a report requested by Mayor James K. Hahn, detailing how to reopen the roadway to private vehicles while also meeting tough new Federal Aviation Administration security rules.

In the three weeks since the terrorist attacks on the East Coast, Los Angeles airport officials have maintained one of the most stringent controls in the nation on vehicle traffic. But in recent days, they had signaled a willingness to allow private cars back onto the horseshoe-shaped, double-deck roadway that serves LAX’s nine terminals.

An FAA waiver allowing cars to park within 300 feet of the terminals could smooth the way for the return of cars. But federal authorities said Tuesday that new information led them to advise commissioners to keep the ban in place. FAA officials would not elaborate.

“We have received some information that concerned us about opening the [central area] parking lots at LAX at this time,” said Jerry Snyder, public affairs officer for the FAA’s Western Pacific region. “We want more time to gather additional information and clarify the information we have before we recommend the public begin using that facility again.”

Those concerns drove Tuesday’s discussion by the Airport Commission, despite days of protests by unions and others that the vehicle shutdown is causing layoffs and crippling commerce at LAX.

“We are concerned with safety and security above economics,” said Hahn, whose unusual appearance at the commission meeting demonstrated the gravity of the discussion. The mayor appoints the seven members of the commission.

In a meeting with reporters after the session, Hahn and airport administrators said they want to allow the public to resume driving on World Way North and World Way South as soon as possible. But further security assessments must be completed before making that decision, they said.

Surrounded by commission members and law enforcement officials, Hahn sought to reassure the public that “LAX is safe.” But he added that the FBI and FAA are further analyzing the situation, including whether “other security barriers” should be installed.

Despite the FAA’s call for continued caution, the mayor emphasized that “there is no indication of any immediate threat at LAX.”

By taking no formal action, the commissioners extended the ban on private vehicles at least until their meeting next Tuesday.

They met for 2 1/2 hours in closed session, under an exemption from the state’s public meeting law that permits private talks on security issues.

FBI and FAA representatives sat in on the discussions, and FBI spokesman Matt McLaughlin said afterward that security at LAX remains a particular point of concern because the airport has previously been threatened by terrorists.

“It’s out of an abundance of caution . . . to err on the side of security,” McLaughlin said. “There is a large body of information that has to be sifted through.”

He noted that the world’s third-busiest airport was the target of an alleged terrorist threat in December 1999. Ahmed Ressam, an associate of terrorist Osama bin Laden, was arrested that month at the U.S.-Canadian border with a car trunk full of explosives; he later said his goal was to bomb LAX.

Among those disappointed by the commission’s decision Tuesday were airport parking attendants who were laid off as a result of the private-car ban. About 100 airport employees attended the meeting.

“I was pretty sure I would be working this week, but with this decision I don’t think I’ll be called back any time soon,” said Felicitas Tovar, an attendant for Five Star Parking who was laid off.

Tovar said she’s thinking about getting another job to support her two daughters. Tovar’s cousin, Maria Magana, said she needs her job as a parking attendant at LAX to pay tuition at a technical school where she’s taking classes toward a nursing degree.

“I’ve been trying my best to keep my family going,” said Magana, adding that she also contributes to tuition payments for her three brothers. “If I lose my job for good, my family is going to go down with it.”

Hahn planned a late afternoon conference call with labor leaders to assure them that he is sensitive to the hardships of parking lot attendants and others laid off at LAX. But he said the precautions have to remain in place for now.

Hahn heads a national task force of mayors studying airport security. The group has urged the federal government to take over safety responsibility for hiring and training screeners at security checkpoints, instead of relying on contractors hired by the airlines.

Despite the massive losses since the terrorist attacks and the potential that the airport agency’s bond rating will be downgraded, the mayor said the facility’s finances remain sound.