In 2004 the California Pilots Association filed a lawsuit to keep a trucking terminal with above-ground fuel tanks from being built in the runway safety zone of Runway 13 of the Tulare Airport. Defendants are the City of Tulare and the Knight Transportation Corporation that has its headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Friday, July 22nd, attorneys for the California Pilots Association and the CalTrans Division of Aeronautics were in court at Visalia regarding the trucking project. Attorneys for the City of Tulare and Knight were also there. Shortly after the case was called, the judge directed the attorneys to retire to a conference room to “meet and confer”. That proved of little value so the attorneys returned to the courtroom for a hearing that lasted an hour. Judge Reed then said she wanted the attorneys to prepare additional legal briefs on one part of the airport land use law. She set a new hearing date for September 30.
Judge Reed’s action is encouraging. She demonstrated she is very capable of understanding airport land use law as it was explained to her by the lawyers and from her own research. I believe she will ultimately decide the case on its merits.
Jay White,
President
California Pilots Association
