HomeMy WebLinkAbout12 - So Cal Regional Airport Authority• CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item No. 11-_
February 13, 2007
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Robert Burnham, Contract Attorney
949/644 -3131; rburnham @city.newport- beach.ca.us
SUBJECT: Support of Orange County's Position on Membership in the Southern
California Regional Airport Authority
ISSUE:
Should the City Council authorize the Mayor to sign a letter supporting Orange County's
position on membership in the Southern California Regional Airport Authority ( SCRAA)?
RECOMMENDATION:
• Staff recommends the City Council authorize the Mayor to execute the letter attached
as Exhibit A.
DISCUSSION:
SCRAA was created as a Joint Powers Authority in the mid- 1980's to "resolve the
Southern California Region's air carrier capacity shortfall and to independently develop
regional airport facilities." Original members included the City of Los Angeles and the
Counties of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino. The County of Orange joined
SCRAA in 1991 and subsequently withdrew in 2003.
In June 2006, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Campbell received a
letter from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Vllaraigosa and Los Angeles County Supervisor
Don Knabe inviting the County of Orange to join them in a "revitalized" Southern California
Regional Airport Authority ( SCRAA).
In December, 2006, the Board considered the invitation and decided not to accept the
invitation until SCRAA redefined their role and membership and made certain changes to:
the SCRAA. The County's position on SCRAA membership was eloquently presented to
the SCRAA Board on January 11, 2007, by Supervisor Moorlach. The following is a
summary of Supervisor Moodach's comments:
11
Support of Orange County's Position on Membership in the Southern California Regional Airport Authority
February 13, 2007
Page 2
• The SCRAA Board should defer action on JPA revisions until members or •
potential members had ample time to discuss concerns and draft: appropriate
remedial language.
• Formal discussion of Board composition, staffing, budgets and administrative
matters should be deferred until SCRAA's role and purpose has been
defined.
• Orange County is interested in participating in a dialogue and discussion of
common concerns to regional airport owners and operators;
• Orange County believes JPA revisions eliminating eminent domain and
airport development and operations powers are an important step toward
redefining SCRAA.
• SCRAA should not duplicate functions performed by existing agencies (SCAG
or OCTA) - SCRAA should bring "added value" to regional airport
discussions.
• SCRAA should not lobby or engage in legislative advocacy.
The Citizens Aviation Committee has considered this issue and recommended the City
Council send correspondence to the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors supporting
the County's position on SCRAA and specifically the comments of Supervisor Moorlach
at the 1/11/07 SCRAA meeting. A draft: letter consistent with the. Citizens Aviation
Committee recommendation is attached as Exhibit A. •
Environmental Review: CEQA does not require any environmental documentation.
by:
Burnham
Exhibit A — Draft Letter
•
•February 13, 2007 DRAFT
Chris Norby
Chairman, Orange County Board of Supervisors
Hall of Administration
333 W. Santa Ana Blvd.
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Dear Mr. Norby:
On behalf of the Newport Beach City Council and our residents, I want to express our
support for the approach you and the other Board members are taking with respect to
the invitation to join the Southern California Regional Airport Authority ( SCRAA). I also
want to specially commend Supervisor Moorlach for the comments he made to the
SCRAA Board at their January 11, 2007 meeting.
The County has consistently participated in discussions regarding regional air
transportation issues at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
and other forums. We greatly appreciate the work you and your Airport Director have
done to ensure that the SCAG Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is consistent with
the provisions of the JWA Settlement Agreement. With that knowledge, we are
. confident that your participation in SCRAA will also respect the John Wayne Airport
(JWA) Settlement Agreement and fully preserve the Board's authority over JWA.
The City of Newport Beach agrees wholeheartedly with the Board's decision to
condition Orange County membership on changes to the SCRAA Joint Powers
Agreement (JPA). We also support the specific changes to the JPA — such as the
powers of eminent domain and airport development/operation — that were referenced by
Supervisor Moorlach in his comments to the SCRAA Board. Finally, we agree with the
Board's position that SCRAA must define or re- define its role to ensure that it brings
added value to the regional air transportation discussion (as opposed to simply
duplicating the roles that SCAG and OCTA perform), that it does not compete with the
regions commercial airport for scarce grant funds and that it does not publicly promote
the public's use of any airport in the basin.
Sincerely,
Steve Rosansky
Mayor of Newport Beach
cc: City Council
City Manager
• City Attorney