Santa Monica Airport Ass'n v. City of Santa Monica

Introduction

The material which appears hereafter under the heading “Oral Opinion” was deliv ered orally from the bench as the final decision of the instant case. Having been so delivered, the Oral Opinion does riot purport to be a full and comprehensive discussion of all the applicable law bearing on the issues presented. The Oral Opinion is submitted for publication at the request of counsel for all parties.

For the Oral Opinion to be understood in its proper context, it is felt that a preliminary statement should be included in this published version in order to set forth the facts of the case with greater particularity than orally stated and to describe the adjudications made prior to delivery of the Oral Opinion.

This case concerns the Santa Monica airport, an airport owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica and located within its boundaries. The airport cannot accommodate commercial airlines because of its short runways. Santa Monica has a population of approximately 100,000. It is located in what is called the “Greater Los Angeles area,” a densely populated urban community. The airport is surrounded on three sides by residential neighborhoods. On the…