In response to: San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol Maria Luisa Torres’s June 17, 2026 article, “Community Members React to Latest Local Plane Accident Out of Whiteman Airport.”
To the Editor:
Regarding Whiteman Airport: With the $1.5 million voted to finance a land use (closure) study, LA County could have contributed to the Whiteman Airport improvements that Supervisor Horvath has publicly called for, but privately blocked. Knowingly spending money to close an airport already granted perpetuity and regional reliever status by the FAA seems to be a poor use of taxpayer funds, particularly one so important for emergency firefighting; something else Supervisor Horvath says she favors reinforcing.
1. Whiteman Airport has been there since the forties. Everyone surrounding it located there later by their choice. LA City Zoning regulations deemed it safe. Everyone buying property near the airport had to sign escrow papers SAYING THAT THEY KNEW THERE WAS AN AIRPORT NEARBY!
2. Airports by law cannot and do not control pilot qualifications. Those are federal matters. Should that not be the case, Councilmember Monica Rodriquez could argue to close city owned Van Nuys Airport, as Van Nuys has had many, many, more accidents associated with it than Whiteman.
3. How about LAX? Should nearby residents propose closing LAX because an Alaska Airlines jet crashed while preparing to land and everyone on board was killed? Edwards AFB? Should it close because a B-52 just crashed killing 8? Should Reagan International close because of the recent helicopter / jet accident?
4. There are hundreds of car accidents on our freeways and roads daily nearby Pacoima. Should San Fernando Road and the nearby freeways with the cars and trucks that emit pollution, and have homes and businesses on both sides of them, cease operations immediately pending studies?
5. Residents know this: Should the airport close, imposing a tremendous overload and congestion for at least two other local airports, and possibly flight delays, and certainly delayed emergency firefighting responses, the associated redeveloped land use will most certainly turn public land to private-for-profit enterprise, and cause area residents to face higher rents and receive eviction notices, and be forced to relocate in order to accommodate new construction.
6. LA County has seen fit to allocate over one million dollars composed of community social find monies, combined with airport revenue and other funds to study land use for an airport necessary for area emergency service and already given the FAA benefit of perpetuity, and special airport reliever status.
7. Supervisor Horvath says she supports improving local fire response service and advocates for an improved Whiteman airport, yet for years she has denied funding for Whiteman. Additionally, LA County sends Whiteman revenue to at least two other County owned airports starving Whiteman of its own revenue.
8. It’s time that our politicians start actually representing what is truly good for our communities, and not what may be good for the pocketbooks of certain special interests.
9. The helicopter base chief has said Whiteman is necessary for them to provide efficient response. The devastating fires were fought by helicopters from Whiteman. The Sandy fire was fought by Whiteman Helicopter first responders. Search and Rescue is headquartered there, Thousands of free rides for community children have been made available from there.
10. Whiteman Airport needs to stay public. Low-income housing can be built elsewhere, thus protecting the area residents from strain on natural resources and the resulting traffic congestion
Sincerely,
Ron Berinstein
Ron Berinstein is the director of the Southern California Aviation United Working Group.