Garcetti opposes LAX plan
groups on the subject. “Wendy believes we need to move forward in making LAX more competitive and safe and she believes the residents who make the area around LAX their home deserve to be heard,” Greuel spokeswoman Shannon Murphy said in a statement.
Asked if that means she supports the runway project, Murphy responded in a second email that Greuel is “committed to keeping the airport competitive and safe, while also committed to hearing the neighborhood concerns.”
Airport officials have been pushing for an additional 260-foot separation between the two northern runways to allow for con- struction of a taxiway.
Backers say the additional distance will make it easier to serve the largest commercial jets, such as the Airbus A380, which require special handling when it arrives at LAX. A series of safety studies support the runway relocation, officials say.
Neighbors north of LAX say the runway relocation will increase noise, air pollution and traffic congestion. They cite a recent NASA-Ames study funded by the city’s airport agency, which concluded that the northern airfield is already safe.
Garcetti disclosed his position to The Times two days after receiving the backing of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion, an advocacy group fighting the runway plan. Westchester resident Denny Schneider, the group’s president, said the runway was a major factor in the organization’s decision.
The announcement could give Garcetti a lift in Westchester and Playa del Rey, where airport issues are on the front burner for many voters — and where turnout was higher than the rest of the city in the March 5 primary election.
Greuel led the field of candidates in Westchester, edging ahead of attorney and former conservative radio host Kevin James, an outright opponent of the runway plan, by just 34 votes, according to a Times analysis.
James, who placed third citywide, also was the top vote-getter in nearby Playa del Rey, getting 48% of the vote in one of that neighborhood’s precincts.
Among the foes of the runway project is U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who gave a speech last month calling the labor-chamber advocacy efforts at LAX an “unholy alliance.” Waters has not yet endorsed in the campaign but told the Westchester Democratic Club that she was meeting with both Garcetti and Greuel to discuss the runway plan.