Air Alarcon?
Mayoral Candidate Richard Alcaron is introducing a bill this week to create a countywide authority to create a new international aiport in North Los Angeles County in order to relieve congestion at LAX. The Daily News reports that Alarcon states this could include an expansion of the current airport in Palmdale owned by the City of Los Angeles (my idea by the way when I was Mayor) . Alarcon's feeling is that other regional airports such as Burbank, John Wayne, Long Beach and Ontario are not sufficient enough to carry the ever expanding air traffic in Southern California.
The airport in Palmdale was purchased by the city during my administration in1971 and saw on again and off again traffic, however it has been shuttered since 1998. Recent efforts to revive use of the airport include the development of a new airline "Air Palmdale" by Westchester area businessman and anti-LAX expansion activist, Robert Acherman, and the coming this month of regional service to Las Vegas by tour operator Scenic Airlines.
When you consider that the City already owns much of the land in Palmdale and has the facilities necessary - the option of Palmdale makes so much more sense than LAX expansion. To top it off, the residents in Palmdale are looking to the airport to service them and provide much needed economic development. Of the $11 billion to spent on LAX, you could build out Palmdale, build a rail line from there to LAX and still have a good chunk of change left over.
But lets not leave it politicians to do what makes sense. That plan doesn't compensate the unions and the special interests as well as Hahn's $11 billion boondoggle.
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 12/13/2004 04:49:00 PM
2 Comments:
Palmdale, Palmdale, Palmdale. WAKE UP people. No one is going to use an airport out there. No one is going to use a rail to get there. You do realize that there is a rail to LAX but no one uses it.
Why should the city of LA invest $11 billion into the city of PALMDALE?
LAX is one of the most antiquated airports in the world. If you have ever traveled internationally, you can see the difference in airports even before you get close to the terminals. Even other airports in this country are much better.
Take O'Hare-undoubtedly the busiest airport in the country. The FAA mandated that United and American cut their flights to improve delays, which it has. But if you have ever driven into O"hare, you are shocked at the ease of finding the terminal, parking or picking up/ dropping off. Unlike the traffic boondoggle that is the LAX horsehoe. IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED.
Uh, the Palmdale market is larger than many major airline markets out there. Who is going to use it? All the people who have moved to Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, etc. etc.
Who would take a train there? Well if you lived in the Valley and it was cheaper to fly out of Palmdale than Burbank - you could park your car at a park and ride lot in Van Nuys and take a train that will get you to the airport in less time than driving to LAX - and with more convenience.
Why spend $11 billion in Palmdale? You wouldn't. You could build out the airport AND the rail line for about half of that.
I didn't know there was a train to LAX. There is a rail line that goes from a) Nowhere to b) Nowhere that has a bus connection from b) Nowhere to c) somewhere near LAX.
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