Noise Poll Questions Biased

This letter is in response to the recent Los Angeles Times poll concerning noise from the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport. Unfortunately, the article (May 28) suffers from poor polling, weak analysis and little attention paid to the true issues.

The questions asked in the poll were clearly biased. Asking: “What do you dislike most about your neighborhood?” and allowing only one answer, will clearly yield no consensus on any issue.

The issue of crime and drugs only received 11%, while every other poll shows that crime and drugs are a top concern of nearly every citizen.

The question: “Do you favor or oppose expanding Burbank Airport?” should have been more fairly worded to read: “Would you favor expansion of the Burbank Airport if it meant more flights over your home?” The rephrased question lets people consider the impact of such expansion when answering the question.

The poll was taken on the weekend when the noise volume is significantly lower. Also, the analysis did not take into account whether people were at home during the work day when a majority of the flights occur or whether they are at work outside the East Valley.

We should not let polls alone set public policy. This is an issue of fairness. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport is, as its name suggests, owned by the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena. Unfortunately, residents of the city of Los Angeles and south Burbank bear the burden of the noise.

What we and such people as Rep. Howard Berman, state Sen. Hershel Rosenthal, Assemblymen Terry Friedman and Richard Katz and Councilmen Joel Wachs and Zev Yaroslavsky have been fighting for is a plan to have the cities of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena bear the majority of the airport noise, since it is their airport.

The Los Angeles Unified School District tested over 50 schools for noise and found that all schools tested exceeded the state limits for airport noise. The Caltrans Division of Aeronautics has called the Burbank Airport one of the worst in the state because it is totally surrounded by homes. Finally, a congressional hearing held at the airport raised questions as to the safety of the airport. The Airport Authority itself concedes that the terminal is too close to the runway.

Regrettably, your article never touches on any of these issues, which are the driving concerns of those who oppose the Burbank Airport.

RICHARD H. CLOSE

Sherman Oaks

Close is president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.