"San Francisco reins in airport funding"

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

S.F. reins in airport funding
$5 MILLION FOR RUNWAY EXPANSION EFFORTS WITHHELD
By Aaron Davis
The San Jose (CA) Mercury News


San Francisco lawmakers took the unprecedented step Monday of withholding
from the budget nearly half the money airport officials hoped to use this
year for studying runway expansion in the bay.

The move is not expected to kill the project, but it forces airport
officials to account for every plane ticket, press release and public
relations consultant used on the project.

A combination of $275-an-hour consultants, first-class plane tickets and
expensive dinners for politically connected insiders in Sacramento and
Washington prompted the board of supervisors to clamp down on the project.

``Obviously, a broad range of local leaders are concerned about airport
misspending,'' said Supervisor Aaron Peskin of the 11-0 vote.

Peskin's amendment not only slashes the airport's runway expansion budget
this year by $5 million but also strips away the airport's discretion over
more than $500 million dollars on projects.

Peskin's specific target, though, is the airport's Airfield Development
Bureau. There, officials have spent nearly $70 million over the past three
years studying runway expansion.

The airfield development budget for the 2002-03 fiscal year will be trimmed
from $11.2 million to $6.2 million. To spend more, airport officials would
first have to give the board of supervisors detailed accounts of how the
$6.2 million was spent.

``We'll be back in 60 days,'' said Kandace Bender, spokeswoman for the
airport runway effort. ``We expect and anticipate a fair hearing when we
come back for the release of the $5 million.'' Last week, Bender predicted
the possible demise of the entire runway project if the airport was limited
to $6.2 million for the year.

On Monday, Airport Director John Martin reiterated to the board that the
airport would need the full $11.2 million to wrap up the sweeping
environmental studies and documents needed before the plan can go forward.

``With future access to the $5 million, we can go forward with the
environmental studies,'' Bender said.

The runway effort probably won't be as visible on the Peninsula and in the
South Bay in the coming year because of the budget cuts. Public debates and
hearings have all been suspended.

It may not be until next year, when a host of state and federal agencies are
expected to begin hearings on the project, that the public may weigh in on
the expansion.

David Lewis, executive director of Save the Bay, an Oakland environmental
group formed to fight bay fill projects, said he was pleased the board of
supervisors clamped down.

``It's the latest example of how low the airport's credibility is,'' Lewis
said. ``It points to extra scrutiny to come.''

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