NEXT STEPS.......
There are several moving parts to this ongoing story. And also many questions that remain unanswered. Not necessarily questions from our representatives, since Mungo and others basically said nothing during the "Jacobs Study Session", but questions that were presented by numerous residents that did attend the December 13th meeting.
8th district councilmember Al Austin stated he would submit his list of 100 questions that turned out to be 32 questions that were recently answered. They can be read at the LGB website and we do urge you to take some time to review. We will post our comments to these answers over the weekend.
If you feel that your questions were not included or have not been addressed, please email all 9 council members and our mayor with those points. Also, copy us at longbeachneighborhoodsfirst@gmail.com.
It takes 5 votes to not approve this project. We believe we have 3 solid votes with the council members who's districts bear the brunt of airport activity each and every day. Which other council districts are impacted, or would be, if our noise ordinance is successfully challenged?
We believe next in line will be district 5 and 3. The 5th district is directly impacted today by general aviation. With any increase in general aviation, charter or corporate flight activity the 5th district will feel that impact. It is also a runway that can handle commercial aircraft when necessary.
District 3 is seeing and hearing flight activity overhead near the peninsula and residents are wondering why now? It could be because of the new FAA MetroPlex program that is being initiated here in Long Beach and has been implemented in LAX already. However there are areas of the 3rd such as Bixby Hill and CSULB that deal with commercial aviation each and every day. Schools must stop and wait for the planes to pass which clearly interrupts the learning process. Residents complain about noise and soot pollution today, they just have not activated their concerns.
Imagine what our "City of Neighborhoods" will experience if we should lose our coveted ordinance. The question remains, WHY would one approve of a project that could negatively impact their respective constituents? Especially when it has been stated and restated in two reports that there would be little if any economic benefit for the City of Long Beach if this is built.
If Mungo and Price are hoping to be reelected for a second term in 2018 they should be very careful with their decision on this request. It's not a threat, it is reality. If you compromise your constituents or bring negative impacts to any part of our city you cannot expect public support in the future.
Stay tuned.......and we welcome the 65 newcomers to this community site.