"Hearings Will Take Stock of San Diego Airport Authority"

Friday, October 13, 2006

Hearings Will Take Stock of San Diego Airport Authority
By Jeff Ristine
The San Diego (CA) Union-Tribune


Two state legislators will consider the fate of the San Diego County
Regional Airport Authority tomorrow in a hearing that will call upon critics
and defenders alike to assess its controversial roles in aviation and
land-use planning.

State Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, said the hearing in Balboa Park
will focus on "the performance of the Airport Authority thus far" and
whether changes are needed to make the appointed board of directors more
responsive to the public.

The question, Kehoe said, is whether "we are going to continue with the
operation of the Airport Authority as is" or seek a structure "more tightly
tied to local government."

The hearing, the first of two on the matter, begins at 9:30 a.m. at the
Balboa Park Club and is scheduled to run to 3 p.m. Assembly Minority Leader
George Plescia, R-San Diego, is co-chairing the event, which includes time
at the end for public comment.

Kehoe and Plescia will give authority CEO Thella Bowens and members of the
authority board an hour near the beginning of the program to reflect on the
current governance model.

Then attention will turn to the authority's relationship with the U.S.
Marine Corps and Navy, which were angered by the agency's choice of Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station as a possible replacement for Lindbergh Field in a
Nov. 7 ballot measure.

The speaker list includes Navy Capt. Michael Allen, who once accused the
authority of "a conscious decision to ignore" issues of military readiness
and public safety that would arise from the Miramar proposal.

Later in the agenda, the legislators will seek comment on the authority's
work to update land-use plans for the areas surrounding the county's
military and civilian airports. The speakers include an attorney
representing property owners who were unhappy with the initial guidelines,
still under revision.

The second hearing is Nov. 17, when the legislators will hear from county
Supervisor Bill Horn, among others. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has been
invited to the November hearing.

Any proposal to change the structure of the authority could be taken to the
Legislature in 2007, with an effective date of 2008, unless it were treated
as urgent.

Kehoe said she is not out to eliminate the Airport Authority or affect the
chances of its Miramar ballot measure. She already has discussed her
concerns informally with three authority board members.

But San Diego Councilman Tony Young questioned the motivation for the
hearings when the issue arose last week at a board meeting.

"I'm not sure this is purely about administration and effectiveness," said
Young, one of three San Diego appointees on the board. "I suspect there are
other issues involved that are far more political in nature."

Fate up in the air

State Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, and Assemblyman George Plescia,
R-San Diego, will co-chair two hearings to consider the fate of the San
Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

The first is at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Balboa Park Club in Balboa Park.
The second hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. Nov. 17 at the Caltrans building in
Old Town, 4050 Taylor St.

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