Opponents of Airport Plan Assail Riordan

Opponents of Los Angeles International Airport’s proposed expansion Friday denounced Mayor Richard Riordan and his recent favorable comments about the project, a massive and costly undertaking that the mayor argues is needed to prepare the city to compete for international trade in the coming century.

Critics contend that at $8 billion to $12 billion, the project is too expensive, would cause too much pollution and would wreak havoc on the communities surrounding the airport, where traffic and congestion are already common complaints.

Led by state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles)--Riordan’s opponent in the past mayoral election--representatives of the communities surrounding the airport gathered outside City Hall to accuse the mayor of greed and hubris, then marched inside to demand a meeting with him. Riordan took one look at the protesters, turned his back and disappeared inside his inner office.

The demonstrators, whose gathering was sparked by comments that Riordan made during his recent trip to Asia, fumed. After 30 minutes in the mayor’s outer office, they were invited to meet with a mid-level Riordan staffer, which they did. They never caught another glimpse of the mayor.

“The mayor spent $467,000 to go to Asia, but he can’t walk 20 feet to talk to his constituents,” said Rocky Rushing, Hayden’s chief of staff. Hayden stood at the edge of the group and chuckled approvingly.

The events Friday demonstrated the tenuous political position that the Riordan administration has created for itself over the airport. Riordan has long supported airport expansion, but has done little to promote the idea, allowing its opponents to gather strength and organize. The result is that a project Riordan has defined as a key source of new jobs is now facing a tough political battle in the months ahead.

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In part, that is because opponents of the expansion have banded together, as they did Friday. Hayden was joined by Redondo Beach City Councilman Bob Pinzler, El Segundo City Councilwoman Jane Friedkin, members of a community airport advisory group, and an aide to Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, among others. Galanter has played a key role in galvanizing opposition to the project.

The elected officials introduced themselves to a security guard as colleagues of the mayor, but the guard would not budge and let them past. At one point, the members of the group began chanting “We want the mayor!” When he did not appear, they assailed his support for the project.

“Mayor Riordan is not telling us the truth,” Pinzler said. “It shows the depths to which some people will go to secure their place in history.”

Hayden was slightly less vitriolic--but only slightly. “Everything seems so far to be about greed and about glory and not about neighborhood quality,” he said.

The news conference was followed by the announcement of the formation of a group called Opportunity LAX. That group, whose members generally support expansion of the airport, was formed to offer a counterweight to the growing community skepticism about the plan to nearly double passenger capacity at the airport.

Christopher Pak, who heads the new organization, said that with the airport growing anyway, members of Opportunity LAX are eager to participate in the development of a master plan.

Under the proposal supported by Riordan, the airport would grow from 60 million passengers a year to 100 million. It also would add about 4 million square feet of cargo space, a huge increase that the mayor and others say is needed to accommodate the growing demand, especially from Asia.

Over the past few months, Galanter has put together what now is a strong and varied coalition, uniting not only immediate neighbors of the airport but officials from elsewhere in Southern California and a few major companies that might benefit from the construction of high-speed rail to the airport at Palmdale. Galanter supports that rail project, arguing that it would make Palmdale a viable alternative to Los Angeles International Airport and avoid the traffic and pollution problems that would affect her district.

Opponents counter that the rail project is so massive that it has little chance of ever being built, and even if it were, it is not clear that it would have the intended effect of making Palmdale an attractive destination for many airlines.

So far, the Riordan administration has mostly reacted to proposals such as the idea of expanding Palmdale by dismissing them as far-fetched and by minimizing Galanter’s significance. But Riordan’s approach has frustrated some proponents of expansion, who want him to play a more active role in making the case for the project.

While in Hong Kong, Riordan seemed to step up to that role. The mayor, buoyed by the enthusiasm that airlines across Asia expressed for an expanded airport, told a Chamber of Commerce gathering that airport expansion was a project of local and national importance.

“The issue is the future of the economies not just of Los Angeles, but of the nation,” Riordan said.

The strength of Riordan’s rhetoric struck other city officials who were in Hong Kong with him, and since returning, he has continued to address the issue forcefully.

In a sharply worded, sometimes condescending statement released by his office Friday, the mayor expressed amazement at the airport expansion opponents.

“Unfortunately, there are those who would rather attempt to distract the public’s attention from the real issue surrounding LAX expansion--global competitiveness,” Riordan said. “They are unable to grasp simple economic facts, and, to them, ‘jobs’ is just a four-letter word. It’s boggling why anyone would focus their energy on denying Angelenos access to quality jobs.”

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Hayden’s chief of staff, Rushing, replied: “For most people, their homes represent not only the achievement of the American dream, but also a lifelong investment. It’s unfortunate that Mayor Riordan can’t grasp that.”

The proposed expansion is still under review by the airport, which will produce an environmental analysis later this year. Before expansion could begin, the city would need to win federal approval, as well as the backing of the city’s Airport Commission and City Council.

Airlines will also be asked to pay a portion of the bill. For the most part, they have expressed support for some expansion, but some airline representatives are troubled by the $4-billion range in estimates and the uncertainty about Riordan’s willingness to battle for the project.

In his statement, Riordan emphasized his resolve to complete the project. “I want to position Los Angeles as the top hub for international trade and tourism in the nation,” he said, “and I intend to continue working with our airport officials and the community to make sure that LAX--and our city--reaches its full potential.”