SMCCA Battles Aircraft Noise in Court

By MATTHEW MEYER | Reporter

When the Federal Aviation Administration announced new LAX flight paths earlier this year, they soothed Palisadian concerns with studies that predicted “no significant impact” on noise pollution would come from the new routes.

“That’s the science,” FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor told the Palisadian-Post at the time. “I wouldn’t want to say what perception [will be].”

They rolled out the new paths in April, and now public perception is rolling in.

Particularly in Rustic and Santa Monica Canyon, Palisadians are reporting an increase in the airplane din that they hear overhead.

It has prompted letter-writing campaigns, phone calls to politicians and FAA officials, and even a legal challenge to the FAA’s “no significant impact” claim that’s now in a District Court of Appeals mediation program.

The Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association has served as the epicenter for much of this resistance.To help file this official Petition to Review, they retained aviation attorney Steve Taber, who has also represented a civic association in Burbank and an individual in San Diego in fights against noise pollution from their own nearby airports.

Since then, Taber and SMCCA representatives have attended sessions with the FAA, mediated by the District Court.

While SMCCA members said they were not allowed to discuss the negotiations while they were ongoing, an organization newsletter suggested that they are lobbying to move satellite “way points” further out over the ocean to divert air travel further from the coast.

As the organization debates that approach and other alternatives, they’re encouraging residents to file complaints on the LAWA website (lawa.org) or by using the LAX app.

“When we moved to the canyon it was a really quiet, lovely place,” one resident told the Post. But more recently: “One night I just sat in bed, filing one complaint after another.”

Canyon residents aren’t the only ones who say noise pollution has gotten worse. Gabrielle Gotlieb, who lives up the hill, off of El Medio, called the Post to say that lately, “it feels as if the airport is right here.”

A spokesperson told the Post that the FAA could not comment on any pending litigation, but that residents should continue providing feedback.

In February, a Post survey of this site found that areas in Rustic Canyon, The Village, Marquez Knolls and the Palisades Bowl were all slotted for changes in aircraft noise well below the 1.5 dB that’s largely considered a “discernible” change in noise.

Palisadians interested in contributing to SMCCA efforts can visits the organization’s website at smcca.org, or attend their meeting on Tuesday, June 13 at the Rustic Canyon Recreation Center.