Turbulence Over Oxnard Airport Intensifies

OXNARD —  The debate over the future of Oxnard Airport has grown increasingly heated in recent weeks, with the city’s mayor joining critics in calling for its closure.

“I think the airport is incompatible with this city,” said Mayor Manuel Lopez. “I don’t know what the value of the airport is, but I do know its downsides.”

Two key decisions on the airport’s future will come before city and county officials this week, including whether to follow the recommendation of a citizens’ advisory group to shut down the facility by August 2005.

Federal Aviation Administration rules are so strict, however, it would be nearly impossible for the county to close the airport, officials said. The federal agency oversees airline operations and has ultimate say over its rules and regulations.

“There is no flexibility,” Supervisor John Flynn said of the county’s influence over airport operations. “We own and operate an airport that we don’t have any authority over.”

The 65-year-old airport, bordered by Victoria Avenue on the west and Ventura Road on the east, has drawn criticism for years from homeowners concerned about noise, traffic and public safety. Noise complaints in particular have skyrocketed, despite a relative decrease in the number of flights at the airport compared to three years ago.

Residents’ concerns were highlighted in April when the citizens’ advisory group recommended in a split vote to shut down the airport. The committee’s intent was to reach a consensus that would lead to completion of the long-stalled airport master plan.

Adding to the facility’s troubles, airport administrator Rod Murphy resigned this month amid controversy over his management style.

Last week, the Oxnard City Council split, 2 to 2, on whether to support America West Express’ request to add two flights from Oxnard to Phoenix. United Express, another carrier, operates six daily shuttle flights from Oxnard to Los Angeles International Airport.

The Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to approve a lease agreement with America West for the Phoenix flights. On Thursday, the Oxnard Airport Authority--a five-member board of local and county officials--will review the recommendation to close the facility. They will also decide whether to forward the request to county supervisors.

County and airport officials said they are unlikely to support closing the facility. Officials acknowledge, however, that the recommendation by the citizens’ panel represents the most serious challenge against the airport.

“That committee’s decision made a significant statement and that means something has to happen . . . like steps to make the airport more compatible or move it,” said Flynn, whose district includes Oxnard. “Airports have defeated and elected people before.”

The Oxnard Airport is the only facility in the county that offers commercial flights, something many business leaders and residents say is essential. The 650-acre Camarillo Airport, the other county-run airfield, would be unlikely to accommodate commercial flights largely because of public and political opposition.

The Camarillo site is three times the size of the Oxnard facility and twice as busy. This year, it expects to handle 190,000 takeoffs and landings. If Oxnard Airport closed, Camarillo could be forced to absorb some of its 90,000 annual takeoffs and landings and provide storage space for about 150 small aircraft.

But officials are staunchly against merging the two airports, saying Camarillo is not suited for commercial airlines.

“We have a large general aviation airport and we will not sacrifice that for commercial aviation,” said Camarillo Councilman Mike Morgan. “I’m not in favor of any transfer of that airport to Camarillo.”

*

Commercial flights have become the lightning rod in discussions about Oxnard Airport because some residents fear the city could become home to a regional airport, ruining the quality of life and causing property values to plummet.

Residents complain that adding the Phoenix flights might open the floodgates to more commercial air traffic.

“Those LAX [Los Angeles International Airport] flights disturb all the residents and they’re a nuisance,” said Tim Riley, a member of the Oxnard Mission Statement Committee. “That airport has no business in our present or future.”

But airport administrators point out that earlier this year there were eight daily commercial flights from Oxnard to Los Angeles and that America West’s service would just bring it back to the same level of operation.

In addition to United Express’ shuttle service, Oxnard Airport handles flights for 75 private businesses.

“If we want industry to come in here, we have to have the airport,” said David Ousley, president of the Oxnard Airport Assn. “There are a lot of CEOs of companies that come here by corporate jet. They need us.”

As part of his job as a service manager for Aspen Helicopters, Ousley has begun to greet deplaning passengers and ask them who they work for.

“The U.S. World Bank president has a house here. We have celebrities and lots of executives who come into this airport,” he said, mentioning local agriculture and food companies.

Unlike Camarillo Airport, which brings in a steady profit, the Oxnard facility has been in the red for years, depending on subsidies from its sister facility, officials said. This fiscal year, Oxnard Airport expects a $350,000 operating deficit, while Camarillo Airport anticipates a profit of $550,000. Neither airport receives money from the county.

Interim county airport director Scott Smith said he expects that to change when construction projects start this year. A hangar that burned down in 1994 will be replaced with a facility that can hold up to seven small planes and provide 9,000 square feet of office space. Smith estimates the airport will be in the black within a year or two, when additional private hangars are built and leased out and the Phoenix flights, if approved, bring in an expected $16,200 in revenue next year.

*

Like many airports in growing communities, one of the biggest problems is encroaching development. Already the airfield is becoming hemmed in on all sides as the city of Oxnard replaces what used to be fruit and vegetable fields with houses and strip malls.

One of the most recent projects is a plan to build a 337 residential units near Mandalay Bay, directly under the flight path near the Pacific Ocean. One county official pointed to the development as an impediment to smooth relations between the airport and the city.

“Unfortunately, the city has allowed so much building to go on around it,” Supervisor Frank Schillo said. “I’m not interested in having great big planes, but that is the only entry and exit point we have and there has been a lot of development.”

Several years ago, the 200-home Patterson Park tract was constructed south of the airport, despite opposition from then-county Airports Administrator Marshall Mackinen.

Residents of The Point, a tract that sits alongside a large park and is within steps of the airport, largely support the facility. But like the City Council and other residents, there are outspoken critics.

“I think the place has enough traffic, and I’m for shutting it down,” says Terry Rossi, who moved into his house four years ago. “I would rather see houses there. It is easy enough to drive to Burbank airport.”

“We need this airport, and airports have noise,” counters Maydene Cole, who has lived in Oxnard since 1946. “I would have no problems if it expanded. Some people put their noses right under the tailpipe and then they don’t want to smell the gas. If they don’t like it, they should move someplace else.”

While the debate continues, officials are considering other options for making the airport more compatible. Flynn has suggested a voluntary airport curfew to minimize flights after 10 p.m. The last passenger flight now lands a few minutes before 11 p.m.

About a year ago, Oxnard Elementary School District officials adopted a resolution opposing Oxnard Airport and seeking its closure to increase school construction.

*

That decision led Mayor Lopez to shift his allegiance away from the airport. Because of regulations about the proximity of schools to airports, the 250-acre facility constricts the city’s ability to build new school sites in populated areas.

“The airport makes it impossible to develop all the schools we need, because so many sights don’t comply with state regulations,” Lopez said.

Many residents and officials promote the long-discussed proposal to establish commercial air service at Point Mugu. But the Navy has not expressed interest in a joint-use agreement.

Admitting that Oxnard Airport’s future is unclear, Councilman John Zaragoza, a member of the airport authority, said the solution is for all sides to reach consensus through a master plan. Officials are still revising the plan, which is a blueprint for future operations.

“I don’t know how this will look a year from now,” Zaragoza said. “We need to determine which direction we are going, and how we will help the 700,000 people in the county who need transportation.”

Flynn acknowledged that while the airport is an important county resource, opposition is increasing.

“There are people concerned about the Oxnard Airport,” he said. “There are more of them than there used to be. I don’t think it’s reached critical mass yet. But it will.”