MIKE BONIN City of Los Angeles Councilmember, Eleventh District January 11, 2016 ‘The Honorable Ted W. Liew United States House of Representatives 415 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 ‘The Honorable Karen Bass United States House of Representatives 408 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 RE: Increased Noise Impacts Over the Westside of Los Angeles Dear Representatives: 1 am writing to alert you to sudden and dramatic changes of air traffic and resulting noise over parts of the Westside of Los Angeles, including Pacific Palisades and Mar Vista, Since late summer, I have heard from hundreds of constituents complaining about frequent, consistent noise from aircraft; these complaints come from neighborhoods that have never mentioned this issue previously. On behalf of my constituents, I have reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting more information on if and why flight patterns have changed. The FAA responded to my inquiry via the attached December 9, 2015 response leiter, stating that the only change the FAA was able to identify was the increase in number of operations at Los Angeles Intemational Airport (LAX) between 2009 and 2014, and an increase in missed approaches at LAX between the months of July to September of 2015 due to runway construction projects. To put it bluntly, the FAA’s answer is pure BS. There is no way they are being honest with me, or with the people I represent, As you know, I live in Mar Vista, and I can assure you that the increase in flights and noise was not gradual; it happened suddenly and is quite pronounced. As an example, my parents have visited frequently from out of state, always spending time in the backyard, My mother was here in March and early August of this year. When she visited again in early December, she was shocked, asking “what is with all these planes over your house?” Her question echoed that of dozens of friends and family who have visited recently. Westchester Office ity Hal West Los Angeles Office 7166 W. Manchester Boulevard 2001. Spring Stree, Room 475 1165 Covieth Avenue, Room 201 Los Angeles, CA 90045 os Angeles, CA 90012 Los Angeles, CA 90025 10 568-8772 213) 473-7011 310) 575-8461 (310) 410-3546 Fox (2131 473-6926 Fax 310) 575-8305 Fax “ &‘You will hear the same story again and again from residents of Pacific Palisades and Mar Vista, and from nearby Culver City. Either the FAA is not telling us something, or thousands of people are suffering from mass delusion. Given my experience with the FAA over the past two decades, I am confident it is the former. It is my understanding that you have also received similar inquiries from your constituents, some of whom we share. I would urge you to challenge and dispute the FAA's narrative, and demand that they provide better answers to why so many people are hearing planes above their homes on a regular basis when they rarely, if ever, heard them previously. Lam, of course, willing to assist in any way possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me, or have your staff contact Omar Pulido, my LAX-Community Liaison, at omar.pulido@lacity.org or (310) 568-8772. Thank you for your consideration. Regards, Mle Bo~ MIKE BONIN Councilmember, 11th District cc: Jacqueline Hamilton, Field Representative, Office of Congressmember Karen Bass Maral Karaccusian, District Director, Office of Congressmember Karen Bass Janet Turner, Field Representative & Constituent Services, Office of Congressmember Ted LieuQ Ce US. Department Wester-Pacific Region .0. Box 92007 Of Transportation Office ofthe Regional Administrator Los Angeles, CA 90008-2007 Federal Aviation ‘Administration DEC 0 9 2015 The Honorable Mike Bonin Councilmember, 11"* District 200 N. Spring St. #475 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dear Mr. Bonin: Thank you for your email dated November 12, 2015, regarding complaints about perceived changes in flight pattems and altitudes over the Westside of Los Angeles. After receiving your inquiry, we investigated these concerns. The Westside of Los Angeles, including Mar Vista, is under a major arrival pattem for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The arrival pattern has been in place for many years. The only change we were able to identify is in the number of operations at LAX, which increased almost 17 percent between 2009 and 2014, Additionally, over the past year, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has undertaken extensive runway construction projects resulting in one of the four runways being closed. Under normal conditions, approximately 10 to 12 aircraft a month make a missed approach at LAX. Following a missed approach, the standard procedure is to climb the aircraft to 5,000 feet Mean Sea Level for the return to the airport. As a consequence of the runway closure, missed approaches increased to 23 in July, 30 in August, and 27 in September. ‘The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting an Environmental Assessment (EA) for procedural changes proposed by the Southern California (SoCal) Metroplex project. We conducted extensive outreach throughout the area about the proposed changes. The FAA held a 120-day public comment period and is currently reviewing comments we received on the Draft EA. The FAA has not made a final decision on the project and has not started to implement any of the proposed Metroplex procedures. More information is, available at: http://metroplexenvironmental.com/socal_metroplex/socal_introduet I. ‘The LAX Community Noise Roundtable was created in September 2000 to address aircraft noise concems in communities surrounding LAX. LAWA provides regular statistical reports on aircraft operations of concern to the local communities. The regularly scheduled meetings are open to the public and we encourage citizens to attend. More information about the Roundtable, including information about meetings and copies of reports, is available at http://www.lawa.org/L AXNoiseRoundTable.aspx.2 Thank you for this opportunity to answer your inquiry. If you have any questions, please contact me or ‘Tamara A. Swann, Regional Executive Manager, at (310) 725-3550. Sincerely, Lilt Glen A. Martin Regional Administrator