Reacting to the concerns of tenants at Van Nuys Airport, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday called on the airfield operator to evaluate possible management changes and whether the facility should have its own commission to set policy.
Van Nuys, one of the nation’s busiest general aviation airports, is run by the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners and Los Angeles World Airports, which also operates LAX and LA/Ontario International Airport.<
Tenants and pilots at Van Nuys have been dissatisfied with fee and rent increases that they say have driven businesses away from the airport and made it difficult for those remaining to survive during the economic downturn.
Airport officials say they have been trying to reduce longstanding budget deficits at the airport.
Councilmen Tony Cardenas and Mitchell Englander, who requested the study, said their measure would help bring long overdue attention to Van Nuys and much-needed local oversight for a critical economic asset in the San Fernando Valley.
The motion requires Los Angeles World Airports and the airport commission to evaluate increasing community involvement at Van Nuys, the creation of a separate airport commission at the airport and the hiring of a private management company. A report is due back to the council in 120 days.
“We, as a community, have been waiting for a change for a long time,” Cardenas said.
