Saturday, August 18, 2012 – 09:00 a.m.
One would have to believe LAX/Ontario International Airport was a crown jewel or made of gold.
In observing the way San Bernardino County governments are pursuing control of the airport it would sure seem that way.
Yes, grand plans to wrest control of the facility are being batted around.
The latest move in this ongoing saga is the creation of an airport authority to oversee an airport it doesn’t, and may never, control.
I know, only in San Bernardino County! Right?
The airport, currently under the ownership and operation of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), has been shrinking its operations as the economy has forced airlines to shut down or reduce flights.
In other words it’s a loser, to the tune of millions annually, for LAWA, which also owns and operates other facilities including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
It’s LAX that is the real revenue generator. A revenue generator supporting LAX/Ontario.
How local officials somehow believe they are going to wrest control of the airport, subsidize it’s operations, pull flights from LAX back to Ontario, make local residents fly more, and turn it profitable, is an interesting question to say the least.
The officials involved probably don’t have a clue. They just want it because its there.
It’s also questionable as to whether or not LAWA, ostensibly the Los Angeles City Council, will ever sell the Ontario operation to the now proposed Ontario International Airport Authority.
You can bet it’s there decision and no one else’s.
It’s all about power.
However, the political and financial muscle of the Los Angeles City Council vs. the Ontario City Council and San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is no contest at all.
Right now LAWA must see all this hubbub as a nuisance, a knat on the back of someone’s rear-end.
After all, it’s not as if San Bernardino County governments have a stellar track record when it comes to running airports.
A federal investigation is currently ongoing related to the black hole known as San Bernardino International Airport.
You know, the place where about $200 million, give or take, has been blown by local officials, which includes a representative from the county.
An amazing $200 million spent on a airport that serves no airlines and is basically in a moth ball status!
Is running another financially draining airport something that San Bernardino County governments really need to be involved in at anytime in the forseeable future?
Probably not.
Not puzzling at all. Prior to Ontario turning the airport over to LAX it was a cash register for them. THAT is why Deveraux and Ontario want it back. They will do what is necessary (reduce rent, lower landing fees, etc) to get it profitable. It will be in competiton with LAX, which it is not now.
SBD airport is non existent. It isnt even in the picture.
It would be better to not use a Joint Powers Authority. This form of municipal government is used notably with OmniTrans where the county and cities assign officials to its board rather than a separately elected commission directly responsible to tax payers. As a result, OmniTrans is not directly responsibile to voters and this “empty bus operator” wastes tens of millions of our federal and state gasoline and sales tax dollars each year that would otherwise be in the hands of tax payers or used to increase the speed of repairs and maintainence of roads for which the taxes have been intended. A new JPA for ONT will likewise be non-responsive to taxpayers….no direct linkage through regular elections equals unmanaged spending and new perks for city councilmen and county commissioners. No wonder Moody’s is forecasting many more bankruptcies of municipalities in California.
Anon, what do u and the Devil know that the rest of us don’t?
Could it be that if the County/Ontario JPA (and therefore SanBAG) get control of the airport, they stand to get more FREE MONEY from the Feds?! That’s all this is about, trust me…
With SanBAG’s history of mismanagement and squandering of Measure I gas tax money in the IE, there is NO WAY IN HELL that this County should be allowed to take over an enterprise that is WAY OVER THEIR HEADS (no wonder SanBAG is talking about EXPANDING THEIR FUNCTION!)
Read what Ontario Council candidate Mim Mack has to say about County/ City officials taking over ONT… this is really going to blow-up once Devilreaux tries to do the same thing he did for Mayor Pro-Tem Alan “Ex-police” Wapner, with his timely FULL-RIDE MEDICAL PENSION, for his new best buddy SBSD “Finger-flier” Rick Roelle!
LSW, as usual you are incoherent.
ANYONE owning ONT is better than LAWA, Los Angeles Worst Airports.
Read it in The Sentinel!
See Roelle in action on iepolitics.com… way to go Sharon, ET and Patricia!
U guys ROCK!
If this new so called JPA somehow gets control of Ont Airport, it will be a breeding ground for more abuse and FBI probes.