Dear Editor,
What has gotten into Bill Bauer? It’s the pot calling the kettle black; complaining about the nasty, rude, boorish and snarky dialog between residents and others in the debate over closing down SMO. I liked the guy better when he was running for City Council (even though he’s a Republican) before he turned into a curmudgeon.
I’ll tell Bauer why single out SMO, and not other airports. WE LIVE HERE! My address was 2449 Oak Avenue, close enough to be exposed to toxic fuel pollution and excessive noise, especially from the traffic school takeoffs and landings.
I don’t care which came first; the homes are here to stay, and their safety in a densely populated neighborhood, trumps flight schools, and any outsiders who use SMO. Let the flight schools relocate to Newhall and keep a helipad at SMO for emergencies.
There are numerous other reasons to close SMO, besides the occasional crash. The airport doesn’t serve the people who live here, nor bring in enough revenue to justify its operation. I would prefer that property was used for low income housing for entry level and minimum wage earners so they could live in the city where they work.
In fact I would rather have the City industrial grow marijuana on that land, and put the Humboldt County growers out of business. Why should a bunch of pot heads be hiding their profits to avoid paying taxes when cities could abide by the medical marijuana laws and profit 10 times as much as they would from taxation alone? What better why to reduce crime and raise tax revenues, at the same time? Think of the jobs that would create!
Bauer is right about how the City wastes money on studies to appease various interests, nitpicking fuss budgets and various cronies, sycophants, etc. He is wrong that ultimately the decision will be made by the FAA. That was the perception when I was the first City Council candidate to advocate closing down the airport. My only endorsement, the Association of Flight Attendants, would no longer support my candidacy, and people said I was nuts.
Our city council waived sovereignty to Sacramento, on rent control, male genital mutilation, etc., and and now they are bowing down to the FAA. We keep re-electing the same buffoons, who are already preparing to cave into the FAA; we must NOT let that happen! The FAA lease expires on June 30, 2015 and that is that! The entire property is City owned; in other words it belongs to those of us who live here, and it is OUR decision what to do with that land! If the City Council doesn’t have the gonads to stand up to the FAA; elect a new Council, BEFORE it’s too late. Hold a recall and elect people who will represent the residents and voters of Santa Monica; not SMRR, the city employees, developers, hotels, car dealers, etc. Case closed!
Jon Mann
Santa Monica
