April 18th Santa Monica Airport Protest Includes City Leaders

Several dozen people of all ages gathered from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on Sunday, April 18, 2010, at the start of the week commemorating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution (CRAAP), in cooperation with Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, organized Santa Monica Airport (SMO) neighbors from both Los Angeles and Santa Monica in protest of the airport’s high levels of toxic jet exhaust.

Supporters of the protest included the North Westdale Neighborhood Association (NWNA) as well as the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC). This protest location contrasted the location chosen three years ago for the first protest which was held on the airport property, next to the SMO administration building.  

The chosen location for this protest was the Sardis Avenue cul-de-sac just across Bundy Drive from the east end of the runway.  This location, in the Los Angeles neighborhood of North Westdale (Zone #2 of the MVCC), was chosen to highlight several facts: (1) - To emphasize the findings of a recently published state-of-the-art air monitoring study by a team of scientists working out of UCLA. Included in the findings were ten-fold elevated pollution levels at the protest location. (2) - To demonstrate to the local media real-time impacts, allowing them to sample the smells and noises jet operations have on the Los Angeles side of the airport. (3)- To announce the key findings and recommendations of a just published report by a team of UCLA resident pediatricians: Santa Monica Airport Health Impact Assessment . (4) - To stress the urgency of stopping this environmental injustice.