Letter to the Editor 

   Busting the budget to obtain union endorsements, the failed health care merger with the $15.3 million dollar price tag and trying to override SOAR are reason enough to rid ourselves of our present poor-performing crop of supervisors. All five of them.

    But all the aforementioned pales by comparison. Your supervisors greatest coup and best kept secret is the changing of Camarillo General Aviation Airport to a full blown Van Nuys equivalent jetport.

    Let's examine Van Nuys' Jetport for a moment . Twenty-eight homeowner groups are begging local and Federal agencies for relief from jet noise. None is forthcoming. The FAA has authorized $15 million to soundproof valley homes. Soundproofing homes doesn't work but the Federal Government will throw dollars at any problem to make it go away. But go away it doesn't.

    Van Nuys Jetport has 1,500 aircraft movements daily. That's 62 aircraft movements per hour. The jet noise just about never stops - and the pollution lingers continually.

    Ventura County Supervisors know these facts very well. I have been present when they have had these facts presented to them. But protecting your interests, your home value, the presently quiet skies above us and your lifestyle is of zero concern to them. Instead they have approved $5 Million dollars in jet facility improvements to lure the jet fleet to Camarillo Airport. Jet air fleet specialists have been hired and are working as you read this to bring this disaster to our community. And they are well paid - the head of county airports makes over $100,000 annually. The supervisors are serious about this.

    I have been involved in trying to prevent jet noise in this county for over twenty years and have never seen a more determined and aggressive effort to establish this jetport. Legislation may soon surface in Sacramento to require two-thirds voter approval to create jet airports. Perhaps this is driving the rush to establish a Camarillo Jetport.
   
    Supervisor Kathy Long was elected by the people of Camarillo with the full expectation that she would protect the spirit of the Letter of Agreement between the City of Camarillo and Ventura County. The letter stipulates that no runway improvement occur that promote jet traffic. No runway improvements such as lengthening the runway were really needed. The runway is actually longer than that of Van Nuys. However the needed jet aircraft handling facilities were approved by the Board of Supervisors and, of course, the Ventura County Airport Commission. Kathy Long co-chairs that commission with Supervisor John Flynn.

    The city of Oxnard lies directly in the path of jet aircraft departing a Camarillo Jetport. Oxnard will become a very noisy area as departing aircraft will be at takeoff and climb power. John Flynn is and has been very aware of the misery Camarillo Jetport will bring to his constituents. I see no evidence that he cares.

    Supervisor Judy Mikels voiced her displeasure at the lack of development of Camarillo Airport several years ago. She should be pleased with recent developments.

    A general aviation airport should be managed very carefully, lest it become a disaster to the community. Van Nuys Jetport is a perfect example of careless citizen monitoring. And it is appalling how little attention voters are paying to their supervisors "improvements" at Camarillo Airport. Perhaps this can be remedied at the polls. Maybe new supervisors will attempt to correct their predecessors grave errors. Let us hope.

                        David R. Park
                        731 Westover Place
                        Newbury Park, CA 91320
                        805-523-0461

For years we have been trying to get the Ventura County Supervisors to rein in the over-spending at Ventura County Airports. Try though we may, our elected officials pay no attention to the budget busting leadership of Director of Airports, Mr. Rod Murphy. We enjoyed a $5 million operating reserve when Mr. Murphy took the job 7 years ago, that’s all gone, along with the $2.6 million dollars of insurance money which was to be used for replacing the fire-destroyed Hangar One at the Oxnard Airport.

When Mr. Murphy’s insatiable spending ran out of money, he asked for and got huge rent increases from users and Aircraft Service Providers (FBO’s). Some of these rent increases (say taxes) were 20 – 80% above previous rates. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors also approved Mr. Murphy’s request for a $900,000.00 loan with no visible way to repay this loan. Our elected officials will soon be asked to approve even more rent (tax) increases because of this out-of-control spending. Former CAO Baker was right on point; there is no "Supervising" going on! The Department of Airports is a perfect example. Overstaffing, temporary help and unneeded consultants have contributed to this never-ending problem. Is this a part of the Supervisors overall plan? A plan to change County Airports to a Van Nuys-like operation for the tax dollars that the Jets will bring to the Cities and County.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved these new taxes (rents) and yet they sit idly by when the Director of Airports fails to stay within his budget.

The Camarillo Airport is fast moving toward becoming another Van Nuys–like Jet Airport. With five NEW LARGE commercial Jet-Type service hangars already approved. The goal of the County appears to be; to price out the current small Airport Tenants, and make room for the well heeled Corporate Jets. Who needs a budget? We’ll just keep on raising the rents. Look out Camarillo, are even more Jets coming?

Robert Fowler
President, Camarillo Airport Hangar Owners Association