The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and Board Chairman Don Knabe, directing the County’s Chief Executive Officer to prepare a formal request to Los Angeles World Airports, the Board of Airport Commissioners, and the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, to explain its plans for the undeveloped property adjacent to the Palmdale Airport.
This vital property is not being utilized as was promised when it was taken by eminent domain from property owners over 40 years ago, said Supervisor Antonovich. The City of Los Angeles has an obligation to explain fully its plans for using the property.
For four decades, this land has been sitting vacant, not being used for the development of another critically-needed regional commercial airport, which was the intended use of this land, said Supervisor Knabe. Today’s action will hopefully get us some answers about how this vital facility will be used for regionalizing commercial air traffic.
In the 1960s, the Los Angeles City Airport Commission acquired Ontario Airport, the 17,000-acre Palmdale airport site, and later contracted with the United States Air Force for Palmdale’s Plant 42’s runway and air terminal, for a regional airport network to meet future population needs. To date, the City’s Los Angeles World Airports Department has failed to develop this property.