Residents near Van Nuys Airport feel heard, but they’re still angry

An airport disturbance

Thank you for Carolina A. Miranda’s article regarding Van Nuys Airport [“Fallout From the Private Jet Set,” Oct. 23]. What the airport is doing is borderline criminal. The jets spew toxic jet fumes into our neighborhood.

We have asked for an air quality study. Their response: “We can’t afford it.”

Jets take off 24/7, with 29,987 jet departures in 2021; 2022 is on track to have more.

Van Nuys Airport is supposed to be a good neighbor. It most certainly is not.

Thank you again for the article. And thank you to Miranda for hearing us.

Suzanne Gutierrez-Hedges

Van Nuys

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How appalling that those with private jets at Van Nuys Airport are allowed to pollute the skies of neighborhoods with no restrictions. The harm to the victims is unbearable as they are inundated with fumes while the 1% party aloft.

Why is this permitted? It’s outrageous.

Janet Reichmann

Los Angeles

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Thank you for running this important article on the scandalous decision the FAA has made that encourages corporate jets to increase flights, creating a bigger noise nuisance as well as spreading pollution.

I grew up in Hawthorne next to LAX, and we had to actually stop class when jets flew over. As a senior citizen, I now have pulmonary issues from that pollution.

Why are we allowing this? It’s a complete violation of public trust.

Marianne Davis

Encino

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Where is the AQMD? The FAA? Why is there no oversight? There needs to be a class action lawsuit. It’s only a matter of time before people get sick, if they haven’t already.

Margie Friedman

Santa Monica

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If you think that Van Nuys Airport is the only airport with intolerable noise and pollution, send one of your reporters to northern Orange County. Have them sit in any backyard in Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Villa Park, Orange, Tustin or Santa Ana for an hour. On any given day, they will hear one plane per minute. Yes, that’s right, for many hours on many days, we get one plane per minute.

My only issue with this article is that it should have been on the front page and part of a series on the impact of each of the airports in the Greater L.A. area.

Karen Miller

Anaheim Hills

Just ordinary celebrities

I’d just like to commend Mary McNamara for an excellent look at modern celebrity and what we as consumers of that celebrity need to do going forward [“The Fault Is Not in Our Stars, as It Goes,” Oct. 21]. People need to stop thinking of celebrities and politicians and anyone out in the public eye as beyond humanity. They’re just people, and while they may be talented in one or two areas of life, they’re still fallible and flawed, just like you and me. In addition, I’d just like to mention that the final sentence of McNamara’s piece is absolutely brilliant and true. Thank you.

Hassan Abdul-Wahid

Los Angeles

Stay focused on City Hall

Greg Braxton’s article [“For TV News, a Time to Rethink,” Oct. 20] only scratched at the surface of the issue of why Los Angeles City Hall gets scant coverage from local TV.

Not since the 1990s has a TV station staffed a bureau at City Hall, or the County Supervisors.

And speaking of not covering civic news, where was The Times? Why are there spider webs and empty desks at the former news desks at City Hall, police headquarters, the County Hall of Administration, the courthouses?

Hans Laetz

Malibu

Future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer

[“Quite the Reputation,” Oct. 20] is a nice article comparing the output of Taylor Swift to the musical icons of the ’70s. I need to point out one glaring omission: David Bowie’s 1974 musical gem, “Diamond Dogs.” While it only reached fifth place on Billboard in the U.S., it climbed to third in Australia and Sweden, and rose to first in Canada.

Including this album, which contains the signature tune “Rebel, Rebel,” would have resulted in a well-deserved streak from 1971 to 1976.

Thomas Horan

Newbury Park

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What? No mention of Neil Diamond?

Ellen Ginsburg

Los Angeles

Crossword puzzles just got harder

As a longtime subscriber and crossword puzzle doer of the L.A. Times, I have to inform you that since the installation of your new crossword puzzle editor, the Thursday-Saturday puzzles are no fun anymore. They are too hard.

They used to be fun and challenging, but now they just aren’t. My husband and I used to look forward to them, but now we never get them done and are extremely frustrated with them. We loved Merl Reagle’s puzzles and Rich Norris’.

Elizabeth Zuckerman

Rolling Hills Estates