ABOUT US

Who are you?

We are a small, informal group of Studio City residents, made up entirely of volunteers, who want to save our formerly tranquil community, wildlife preserves, and quality of life from the current, focused, NextGen-like flight paths that moved, in late 2016, over the protected Santa Monica Mountains without notice or study - as well as from future proposed procedures that will make these flight paths permanent.  We are fighting to move paths away from the High Fire Severity Zone of the Santa Monica Mountains, and for dispersal, higher altitudes, runway rotation and other noise mitigation techniques to ensure that no one neighborhood suffers disproportionately from the roar of almost 200 (and increasing) jets departing Burbank Airport daily.  We are focused on raising public awareness, gaining media attention, and building a powerful coalition to fight the FAA, including support by Local, State, and Federal Representatives, the City Attorney, and powerful environmental groups such as MRCA and SMMC. See our Latest Updates section for TV clips of group members speaking at the recent Burbank airport meeting; see our Press section for other quotes and audio; and see our Change.org petition to read the comments of some of our 3,500+ members and supporters.

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Are you trying to raise money?

No, we are not organized for that purpose. Our group of volunteer residents has focused on raising awareness and building a powerful coalition to fight the FAA, generating thousands of comments that made it imperative that the FAA pay attention. We forced Hollywood Burbank Airport and the FAA to finally admit changing the flight path in early 2017 from a published, dispersed path to an “unofficial” narrow and focused path overflying the Santa Monica Mountains communities. We brought the issue to our City, State and Federal elected officials and encouraged the City to take action by engaging the City Attorney who, in turn, retained outside counsel so it could potentially bring suit against the FAA. We involved the media and brought the issue to our neighbors, the public, community organizations, and powerful environmental groups including the Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Our mission is to restore our former peaceful quality of life.

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Why not file your own lawsuit?

The cost of fighting the FAA is prohibitive. Also, because the City Attorney represents all San Fernando Valley residents - and is accountable to all of us - we feel this is the most transparent and socially responsible way to solve the air noise issue.

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Do you care about air noise in Burbank, Valley Village, Toluca Lake, North Hollywood, and other communities?

Very much so. No school should have a 1,600ft waypoint over it, period. We want to find a solution that improves everyone's lives.

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Do you work with other air noise groups?

Although every air noise group has its own strategy and style, we stand in solidarity with all those campaigning for quieter skies.

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What's your history?

In late 2016/early 2017, Studio City residents noticed a sudden and dramatic increase in air noise. After being told that nothing had changed, a small group of us began to apply public pressure on Hollywood Burbank Airport - with the help of Burbank for Quiet Skies and their Congressman Adam Schiff - to commission a study into the flight paths of all departing planes. In March, 2018, Burbank hired aviation consultants Landrum & Brown to conduct this research. In May, 2018, the preliminary results of the study confirmed what we had long suspected: That some 180+ (now almost 200) Burbank departures were being "vectored" in new, unofficial, unannounced - and unstudied - low-altitude paths over our hillside communities and the protected Santa Monica Mountains. In July, 2018, research by our group uncovered internal FAA plans (since revealed to be part of an air noise settlement agreement with Benedict Hills) to make these vectored paths permanent through the creation of low-altitude waypoints directly over Carpenter Community Charter and The Buckley School - with zero environmental study. Working with Councilmember Paul Krekorian, we secured the help of City Attorney Mike Feuer, and then, through public outreach and this website, brought the waypoints to the public's attention. This created a media firestorm and intense political interest, which in turn prompted the FAA to delay and open up its process - and the City to appoint specialized outside counsel in preparation for a potential lawsuit.

 

How can you be contacted?

Email us directly here.

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