YOUR HELP IS NEEDED NOW!
Please send your comment opposing the American Airlines contract to the Board of Supervisors by Tuesday, Jan. 7th.
From Citizens for a Friendly Airport:
Happy New Year to all!
Please note an important Call To Action, below.
As you review, please note some additional information:
- The San Diego Board of Supervisors(BOS) will meet next week on Wednesday 1-8-25 to discuss the American Airlines Contract.
- The BOS needs 4 votes to approve the American Airlines contract and to rescind the F-44 policy. Due to the resignation of Supervisor Vargas, we are unsure how this will be handled. It could get voted on or it could get postponed yet again.
- To prepare, we must assume that they will vote on the item next week, and must therefore make our opposition known.
- 4. If you can’t be there in person, E-Comments are the next best thing, and they are easy to do. Instructions are in the C4FA flyer below.
- Last time, we had 446 (85%) opposition comments registered compared to 67 (15%) comments in support. If you did an e-comment last time, you must do it again! Those will not be counted again. We have an audacious goal to register over 1000 comments in opposition, so please inform 1, 2 or more other friends and neighbors in opposition to also register their comments.
- To help make this easy, attached are ideas for talking points. Feel free to use your own words, too!
As always, thank you for your support and efforts. We can do this !!
Hope
CALL TO ACTION – AA at Palomar Goes to a Board VOTE on WED
Dear C4FA Friends,
This Wednesday, Jan 8th, for a SECOND TIME, the Board of Supervisors will vote to:
- Authorize a lease for American Airlines to fly the Embraer 175, a 78-seat capacity, configured for 76 seats, C-III aircraft in and out of Palomar Airport
- Change the long standing F-44 policy, which currently restricts airplane size to accommodate not more than 70 seats. This would allow infinitely larger jets to use Palomar Airport.
This item was postponed last month because the Supervisors did NOT have the necessary votes. The paid industry lobbyists will be out in force. Residents MUST make their concerns known.
C4FA is opposed to both actions. Simply put, the AA jet is far too large for Palomar Airport. This contract will take a safe airport and make it unsafe. The runway is too short, the planes wings are too wide, and to land safely, the jet has to come in much faster than the airport is designed for. Additionally, the first flight of the morning leaves at 6:15am, during Palomar’s Quiet Hours, the same Quiet Hours developed and touted by the County as one of the ways Palomar tries to be a good neighbor to the community.
Changing and/or removing the F-44 policy is a violation of the Court’s 2021 ruling against the County. It changes the use of the Airport, one from supporting General Aviation and small jets, to one that becomes a full blown Commercial airport. The FAA recommended airport design standards for this AA E175 are the same as those for a D-III 737. This is a backdoor attempt to start to expand the Airport without getting Carlsbad’s approval (as ordered by the Court) in a “bit by bit” or “little by little” way, instead of a transparent public process.
What you can do:
- PLEASE Show up and tell the BOS NOT to support the two proposals:
- Wed, 1/8/25 @9am at the County Admin Building downtown.
- Need a ride downtown? Email Dom Betro at [email protected] .. include “CARPOOL” in the subject line and provide your mobile phone number.
- At a minimum, PLEASE submit an e-Comment OPPOSING Agenda Item #4. The County doesn’t make it easy, but here are the steps to submit your eComment:
- Go to the County website for eComments- https://sdcounty.granicusideas.com/meetings/2092-board-of-supervisors-meeting/agenda_items
- Choose “Board of Supervisors Jan 8, 2025 eComment
- Scroll down to Agenda Item #4
- Click the COMMENT button on the RIGHT side at the bottom of Item #4. (The Comment button on the left shows the comments that have been submitted.)
- Select OPPOSE
- You do NOT have to fill out your personal information. First name, last initial, and a zip code will suffice.
- Write a short comment if you choose. You have 500 characters. Each person in your household can submit an e-comment.
- SUBMIT
The eComment process is tallied and reported by the County and becomes part of the record. Last month 523 residents responded with over 85% opposed. Those comments were archived. We have to start over. Emails to the County from the general public about Agenda items tend to get “lost”….. This e-comment process takes only a minute or so to do, and is so important.
As always – Questions? Please email us at [email protected]. If questions are related to this subject please add “American Airlines” to the subject line.
Thank you for your continued support.
Your Friends and Neighbors at C4FA
P.S. We are a 100% local volunteer group….. all regular folks. So if you are able, please help by Donating Here Thank you.
Please share this with friends and neighbors!
Talking Points
Suggested E-Comments for January 8th BOS meeting:
In brief the issues are:
Local control;
Judge Pollack’s decision in C4FA 2021 lawsuit;
Conditional use permit 172;
Too Big Jets;
Build it they will come; Flood gates will open up.
Noise Pollution;
Air Pollution;
Safety Hazards;
Landfill and methane fires;
CEQA – EIR Analysis.
1. Bullet Points:
Key Messages for the January 8 BOS Meeting and E-Comments
1. Local Control & Legal Compliance
• Municipal Protections Ignored: Carlsbad’s municipal codes are designed to protect residents from serious health and safety risks, including noise, air pollution, and safety hazards. Approving the AA contract violates these protections and
endangers those under the flight path, including Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido.
• Violation of Judge Pollack’s Order: In the 2021 C4FA court case, Judge Pollack ruled the County must obtain a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) from Carlsbad before introducing larger aircraft at Palomar. The County has failed to comply.
• CUP 172 Ignored: Palomar Airport is designated as a General Aviation airport. Carlsbad’s CUP 172 requires approval to transition it into a primary commercial airport. The County is proceeding without addressing this requirement, disregarding
Judge Pollack’s decision.
2. Aircraft Size & Noise Pollution
• Jets Too Large: The Embraer 175 (C-3 aircraft) proposed by AA exceeds the appropriate size for a General Aviation airport.
• Noise Abatement Ignored: The Volunteer Noise Abatement Program (VNAP) is routinely violated, and the County’s actions suggest an abandonment of noise control efforts, further worsening the noise impact on residents.
3. Health Risks from Pollution
• Noise Pollution: Chronic exposure to aircraft noise leads to sleep disturbances, stress, cardiovascular issues, and mental health impacts, particularly for those living under flight paths.
o Supporting Study
• Air Pollution: Communities within 10 miles of an airport are exposed to higher levels of unhealthy air, with ultrafine particles causing severe health impacts, including respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
o Supporting Study
4. Environmental Impact
• Unhealthy Air Quality: San Diego already has some of the nation’s dirtiest air. Additional aircraft will exacerbate pollution and worsen public health risks.
o Lung Association Data
• Landfill Methane Fires: The Palomar landfill, beneath the airport, experienced a methane fire in October 2022. Larger jets increase the risk of catastrophic events due to this aging and faulty gas collection system.
5. Expansion Concerns
• Floodgates for Commercial Expansion: Approving the AA contract opens the door for additional airlines and more jets, increasing noise, air pollution, and safety risks. The County’s provision of additional ticket counters suggests a clear intent to
transition Palomar into a full commercial airport.
6. Environmental Review Required
• EIR Analysis Lacking: The County refuses to conduct a new Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to assess the significant risks from larger aircraft, including noise, air, and safety hazards. This failure neglects critical environmental and public safety
concerns.
Actionable Summary
The proposed AA contract disregards local protections, violates legal rulings, and introduces unacceptable risks to health, safety, and the environment. The Board must prioritize the well-being of the community over expansion ambitions by denying the AA contract.
2. Additional Information:
– Carlsbad has municipal codes which protect the health and safety of residents, as they may be exposed to serious health and safety impacts caused by aircraft, such as noise and air pollution, and safety hazards. Approval of the AA contract violates
those protections and leaves residents at risk, including those who live under arrival flight path in Vista, San Marcos and Escondido.
– In the C4FA court case of 2021, the judge specifically stated in his order that the County requires a Conditional Use Permit from the City of Carlsbad before introducing larger aircraft into Palomar Airport than what is allowed by the current
Conditional Use Permit. The County has thus far failed to do that. See:
https://www.c4fa.org/_files/ugd/e2cb52_63e2204437ab4c34bb468708e1194065.pdf
– Palomar Airport is currently designated as a General Aviation Airport. The County wants to change Palomar Airport into a Primary Commercial Airport. City of Carlsbad’s Conditional Use Permit 172 requires that a change of Palomar Airport from a General Aviation Airport to a Primary Commercial Airport needs to be approved by the City of Carlsbad. The County has chosen to ignore this issue. This goes against Judge Pollack’s decision.
– The jet American Airlines will fly is Embraer 175 aircraft with a capacity of 78 seats, configured for 76 seats, a C-3 aircraft. These jets are too big for our General Aviation Airport.
– AA contract will violate the VNAP (Volunteer Noise Abatement Procedure) protections from noise pollution, agreed to by the County many years ago. Aircraft routinely violate the VNAP, and yet San Diego County does nothing about it. Now, the County wants to intentionally disregard and undermine their own VNAP by signing a contract that gives ‘permission’ to ignore the VNAP. It seems the County has lost all interest in noise abatement at Palomar Airport.
– Aircraft noise pollution can cause serious health impacts to people who live near airports, especially those living under the flight path, including sleep disturbances, increased stress levels, cardiovascular issues, and potential impacts on mental
health. See https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5437751/ – :~:text=It can cause community annoyance, noise constrains air traffic growth.
– Anyone living within 10 miles of an airport is exposed to more unhealthy air and resultant bad health impacts, compared to those people who do not. See: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8318113/ and Also see
https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0529-lax-pollution-20140529-story.html
– “People living directly under the flight path of airplanes are likely to experience higher exposure to air pollution, particularly ultrafine particles, compared to those who live further away from airports, as studies have shown elevated levels of these
particles concentrated downwind of airports and directly under flight paths; this is due to the emissions from aircraft engines.” See http://www.teddingtonactiongroup.com/2019/12/07/are-emissions-from-aircraft-harmful-or-not/ – :~:text=The Mobile ObserVations of Ultrafine,is distinctly associated with aircraft. AND https://www.ce.washington.edu/news/article/2021-06-15/clearing-air – :~:text=Ultrafine particle concentrations downwind of,likely to experience preterm births.
– The air we breathe in San Diego county is unhealthy and it is reasonable to expect that it will get worse with the AA contract and more aircraft using Palomar Airport. See https://www.lung.org/research/sota/city-rankings/states/california/san-diego,
and see https://www.environmentalhealth.org/our-work/clean-air/ – :~:text=Did You Know?,the California Air Resources Board. . See also https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/lung-association-says-san-diegos-air-is-among-the-nations-dirtiest/45473/ – :~:text=By Paul Krueger • Published, this latest air quality survey. . Pull out ranking from American Lung asoc
– San Diego County residents breathe unhealthy air that can have serious health consequences, including increased respiratory problems, cardiovascular issues, and potential aggravation of existing conditions like asthma. The AA contract will
cause the exposure of residents to even more air pollution, with the potential for even more serious health consequences. San Diego County has not met its goal for healthy air required by EPA See
https://www.sdapcd.org/content/sdapcd/planning/attainment-status.html and
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/deh/Vector/peir/Ch.3.1.1_Air_Quality.pdf.
– Palomar Airport had its most recent methane fire in October 2022, due to old and faulty methane gas collection pipelines in the Palomar landfill, located right underneath the airport. It took months to put out. The bigger jets will risk a safety hazard even more worrisome than the smaller planes now using the airport. This gas collection system is overdue for replacement. It has yet to be completed.
– If the American Airlines Contract is approved, the flood gates will open for even more jets and other airlines to use Palomar Airport. The County is offering two ticket counters for American Airlines use. Two others remain vacant. It is obvious that the
County is in the process of turning Palomar Airport int a Commercial Airport, which means more noise pollution, more air pollution and more safety hazard concerns.
– EIR Analysis- Thus far the County is refusing to do an EIR analysis. The EIR analysis must be repeated because it did not analyze significant environmental issues resulting from the larger aircraft in the AA contract, such as increased noise
pollution, air pollution and safety hazards, including Palomar Landfill.
