Read the open letter to Senator Elllen Alquist, Senate Appropriations Committee, on the process of a work around on AB48.
Dear Senator Alquist,
I am writing to you on behalf of the 70,000 state pilots who are very angry about the miss-fire in the legislature with the addition of Flight Schools to AB48. While the idea of protecting the state’s consumers, which in this case represented 15-30 people, may seem to have been appropriate, it should not have been done at the cost of the rest of the state pilot population, flight school businesses, and independent flight instructors.
To help educate you on the importance of this matter, I am providing this comment from a flight instructor, which is fairly representative of the comments throughout the state – “California’s nine thousand six hundred eleven CFIs (Certified Flight Instructor), and several hundred flight schools are out of compliance at this time. If we don’t pay the fees we cannot legally work. That is it! Arizona here I come”.
While we appreciate the process, and the work-around to get 12 months relief from this onerous law, we respectfully request that long term this mistake be officially corrected and that flight schools and flight instructors be removed from the language of AB48 – period.
We understand that the process is slow moving but we ask you to please consider that this mistake is costing people their livelihoods while Sacramento contemplates.
If we can help expedite this matter in any way please feel free to contact me at this email address.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ed Rosiak – President
California Pilots Association
cc: www.calpilots.org
From Rafael Sierra – President Palm Springs Pilots Association
AB1140 and AB1889 should NOT be combined. After a long session at the California State Senate Committee AB1140 was out and ended in the suspense file pending another session next Monday 16, August. Tabling AB1140 means that there was no stay of execution on AB48. California’s nine thousand six hundred eleven CFIs and several hundred flight schools are out of compliance at this time.
The glitch is that proponents of AB1889 want to combine the bill with AB1140. Not good for us. AB1140 and AB1889 should not be allowed to be combined as the California Governor may veto AB1889 (probably due to the funding element associated with this bill……..ed) for unrelated reasons putting us out of business while out of compliance and subject to the various fees and yet to be determined fines. On the other hand, should AB1140 pass as is, it will hold until June 2011 allowing only 10 months to block AB48.
