SAY NO TO LIVERMORE, CA (LVK) AIRPORT EXPANSION

FIXED BASE OPERATORS (FBO) AND LARGE JET APPROVAL COME WITH NO LIMITS

As LVK is a public use airport the number of flights, time of flight etc cannot be restricted. Preventing a new FBO is the only way to stop further expansion. Once approved the carrier gets to decide if they want to follow guidelines voluntarily or change their mind at a later date.

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Other carriers may also follow once the FBO is built and there is nothing that can be done to stop this once approval goes through. Currently even though B737s are allowed at the airport, no B737s or other large jets call LVK their home due to lack of hangars, maintenance facilities etc. The approval aims to change just that. Once facilities are built, Livermore may become an attractive option compared to OAK or SJC. 

NOISE POLLUTION

There are plenty of studies showing ill effect of noise on people, especially our children. The 737s have tested at 89 DBs which is higher than city, state and CEQA limits. 89 DBs is considered as harmful to humans. As there are no restrictions on number of flights that could be imposed we could be subjected to this throughout the day and weekend. The California noise control act sets noise above 80 DBs as considered harmful to humans. Click here for a study showing effects of noise pollution.

PROPERTY VALUES WILL SUFFER IF LIVERMORE AIRPORT BECOMES A HIGH TRAFFIC AIRPORT

Several studies have shown negative correlation between property values and growth of an airport. On average property values decreased 5-9% and sometimes by larger amounts. While the charter company is able to save and increase their profits the taxpayer will suffer by losing value on her/his home, a major investment for many. The airport commission being a public interest organization is planning without input of residents who will be most impacted by this change

FOLLOWING FLIGHT PATH AND NOISE MANAGEMENT

It is very clear that the airport's approach towards resident's concern of noise management is "live with it". Even though flight paths clearly showing neighborhoods to be avoided has been established years ago it is rarely followed or enforced.  Noise abatement measures, noise studies, proactively working with residents to make our towns more pleasant is virtually non existent. The airport meeting minutes speak for themselves.  We have requested help but there has been zero outreach from the airport to mitigate current issues. 

If Livermore airport is unable to manage noise for a small number of planes and keep the neighborhoods pleasant, how can we trust them to manage larger jets which can have a worse impact on quality of life?

SAFETY

In 2020 Livermore airport had several safety issues and near misses (all available in meeting minutes). Near misses are not a lagging but a leading indicator. History of non adherence to previously established flight paths and B737 seems like a bad combination in case of any emergency over our schools and homes

A PUBLIC SERVICE DIVISION WORKING AGAINST PUBLIC?

The airport commission is a public interest organization, yet behaves like a privately run business. The impacted people are not being involved and decisions are made without their knowledge. The residents of Tri-Valley already expressed their views firmly more than a decade ago - "No further jet expansion" and yet here we are years later. The sad truth is that many of us would have never found out about this had it not been for excellent reporting by The Independent, KPIX (CBS) San Francisco, KRON4 and East Bay Times.