1 Vernice Hankins
From: Andrew Wilder
Sent: Thursday, February 3, 2022 6:36 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; David White; Joseph Lawrence; Rick Valte; Stelios Makrides Subject: Item 1-C (Feb 8), Atlantic Aviation Lease - Airport Commission Recommendation Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, and Council Members, The Airport Commission recommends that City Council further clarify to staff your intent with November 23rd Item 13D, and that it was indeed to cease all storage, distribution, and sale of leaded fuel from ALL equipment and storage tanks owned by the City, including those on the North side.
The Airport Commission previously recommended, and Council agreed, that it was important that the City of Santa Monica stop facilitating the sale of leaded fuel at the airport because of the well‐documented health and safety issues posed by lead pollution.
It was the Airport Commission's understanding that the instructions to Staff were to address all City‐owned tanks, including those on the North side of the airport. However, at the January 11th Council meeting, the City Manager reported that "We are cautiously optimistic that the City would be able to transition the self‐serve fuel station that the City owns and operates on the South side of the airport from leaded aviation fuel to Swift UL 94 on or before April 1, 2022."
Based on this statement, and the discussion at our January 24, 2022 meeting, it appears that Staff intends at this time only to pursue the cessation and storage of leaded fuel at the South side of the airport. We ask you to clarify your original intentions with Staff, and our hope is that the City will continue to pursue all avenues possible towards eliminating the sale of leaded fuel from all City‐owned equipment. ‐‐‐‐‐
The above recommendation was unanimously approved (5‐0) at the January 24th Airport Commission meeting.
We very much appreciate your and Staff's efforts on this issue, and, as always, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Thanks so much,
Andrew Wilder
Chair, Airport Commission
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, February 4, 2022 6:22 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; David White; Joseph Lawrence; Rick Valte; Stelios Makrides; Andrew Wilder; [email protected]
Subject: FOSP: City Council 2/8/22 Item 1-C - Atlantic Aviation Lease - Airport Commission Recommendation
EXTERNAL
February 4, 2022
To: Mayor Himmelrich and City Council members
From: Board of Directors, Friends of Sunset Park
RE: 2/8/22 agenda item 1-C -- Atlantic Aviation Lease at Santa Monica Airport The FOSP Board fully supports the letter below from Andrew Wilder, Chair of the Airport Commission.
We want to cease all storage, distribution, and sale of leaded aviation fuel from ALL equipment and storage tanks owned by the City, including those on the North side of the Airport, because of the well-documented health and safety issues posed by lead pollution.
We have communicated with the Council in the past about leaded aviation fuel (Avgas):
Health hazards associated with lead have been documented since the 1920s. In 1970, Congress adopted the Clean Air Act, which set a timetable for phasing out leaded gasoline.
In 1996, it was banned for use in new vehicles other than aircraft, racing cars, etc.
A recent study at an airport near San Jose showed that the use of leaded aviation fuel has resulted in an increase in blood lead levels in children on par with those detected in children during the peak of the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
You received a letter from Sunset Park resident Alice Ellis, who had also sent a letter to the Council in 2015 after receiving this in the mail:
“WARNING: The area within one kilometer of Santa Monica Airport contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Lead is contained in the aviation fuel (aka “Avgas”) that is used by small piston engine aircraft that take off and land at this airport. People living, working, or traveling near this location will be exposed to lead.” Santa Monica Airport had been identified by the EPA as having some of the highest lead emissions among all airports nationally.
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2 Well, it’s now 2021, and SMO is still pumping a quarter million gallons of toxic leaded Avgas every year.
And there were nearly 60,000 landings and takeoffs by piston engine planes at SMO in the past year alone.
Clover Park and Hill & Dale Learning Center, serving infants and toddlers, is next to the runway.
The Growing Place Preschool in Marine Park, for ages 3 months to 6 years, is located under the departure flight path.
The Grant Elementary School playground lies within one kilometer of the Airport.
The sale of leaded fuel at SMO from city-owned tanks is inexcusable. Please make it stop! .
****************************************************************************************************************** In a message dated 2/3/2022 6:36:03 AM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, and Council Members,
The Airport Commission recommends that City Council further clarify to staff your intent with November 23rd Item 13‐D, and that it was indeed to cease all storage, distribution, and sale of leaded fuel from ALL equipment and storage tanks owned by the City, including those on the North side.
The Airport Commission previously recommended, and Council agreed, that it was important that the City of Santa Monica stop facilitating the sale of leaded fuel at the airport because of the well‐ documented health and safety issues posed by lead pollution.
It was the Airport Commission's understanding that the instructions to Staff were to address all City‐ owned tanks, including those on the North side of the airport. However, at the January 11th Council meeting, the City Manager reported that "We are cautiously optimistic that the City would be able to transition the self‐serve fuel station that the City owns and operates on the South side of the airport from leaded aviation fuel to Swift UL 94 on or before April 1, 2022."
Based on this statement, and the discussion at our January 24, 2022 meeting, it appears that Staff intends at this time only to pursue the cessation and storage of leaded fuel at the South side of the airport. We ask you to clarify your original intentions with Staff, and our hope is that the City will continue to pursue all avenues possible towards eliminating the sale of leaded fuel from all City‐ owned equipment.
‐‐‐‐‐
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3 The above recommendation was unanimously approved (5‐0) at the January 24th Airport Commission meeting.
We very much appreciate your and Staff's efforts on this issue, and, as always, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Thanks so much,
Andrew Wilder
Chair, Airport Commission
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, February 5, 2022 11:07 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Gleam Davis; Kristin McCowan; Sue Himmelrich; Christine Parra; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Phil Brock
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Council: 2/8/22 item 1-C -- Extending the Atlantic Aviation lease -- aquifer protection
EXTERNAL
February 5, 2022
To: Mayor Himmelrich ad City Council members
From: Zina Josephs
RE: 2/822 agenda item 1-C -- Extending the Atlantic Aviation lease at SMO
1) In November 2021, staff was asked to show any agreements that would prevent the City from no longer using City-owned tanks for leaded fuel at Santa Monica Airport.
2) In January 2022, the City Manager briefly referred to the Consent Decree with the FAA, but he did not provide any specifics as to why the Consent Decree would prevent the City from no longer using City-owned tanks for leaded fuel at Santa Monica Airport.
3) Staff has not shown any documents, nor have they made any legal argument, as to why the City would need, or want to, continue enabling the sale of leaded fuel. If they have an argument in favor of the status quo, they should make it publicly, not only in Closed Session, and should allow for public comment. This should be done before any new lease agreement is signed with Atlantic Aviation.
4) The consent decree does not require the City to use the City-owned tanks for leaded fuel. It merely says the City cannot "restrict" the sale of leaded fuel.
5) The Grant Assurances required by the Consent Decree also do not require the City to use the City-owned tanks for selling leaded fuel.
6) There are hundreds of other general aviation airports that do not have any fuel service at all.
7) If Atlantic Aviation want to continue selling fuel, it can bring in its own above-ground tanks, which would also protect the aquifer under the Airport from potential leaks from the City-owned underground storage tanks.
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Katharine Dreyfuss <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 5, 2022 5:21 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; David White; Joseph Lawrence; Rick Valte; Stelios Makrides; Andrew Wilder Cc: Sue Himmelrich
Subject: City Council 2/8/22 Item 1-C: Atlantic Aviation Lease/Airport Commission Recommendation
EXTERNAL
Dear Council Members:
I support the request of the Friends of Sunset Park that you cancel the lease of City‐owned fuel tanks to Atlantic Aviation because of the toxicity of the leaded Avgas stored in those tanks and spread throughout the airport's environment by the airplanes who use that gas.
At the urging of airport workers and community members concerned about air quality and long term environmental and health impacts, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners has recently committed to transitioning to electric vehicles and onsite renewable energy production.
Such a strong move in support of a healthy environment should encourage smaller entities like Santa Monica to take the steps it can to remove known toxins from ours.
Please do not continue leasing our city's fuel tanks to a purveyor of toxic fuel.
Thank you for your consideration of my request.
Sincerely,
Kit Dreyfuss
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Gavin Scott <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, February 5, 2022 5:37 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; David White; Joseph Lawrence; Rick Valte; Stelios Makrides; Andrew Wilder; [email protected]
Subject: City Council 2/8/22 Item 1-C - Atlantic Aviation Lease - Airport Commission Recommendation
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Himmelrich and Council Members,
As residents of Sunset Park my wife and I would like to urge you to end the storage and sale of leaded aviation fuel from ALL equipment and storage tanks owned by the City, including those on the North side of the Airport, because of the well-documented health and safety issues posed by lead pollution.
A recent study at an airport near San Jose showed that the use of leaded aviation fuel has resulted in an increase in blood lead levels in children on par with those detected in children during the peak of the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
Please do whatever you can to save our children and grandchildren from this awful fate.
Yours sincerely,
Gavin and Nicola Scott
1801 Marine Street,
Santa Monica
CA 90405.
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, February 4, 2022 6:32 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; David White; Joseph Lawrence; Rick Valte; Stelios Makrides; Andrew Wilder; [email protected]
Subject: Re: FOSP: City Council 2/8/22 Item 1-C - Atlantic Aviation Lease - Airport Commission Recommendation
EXTERNAL
P.S. We' re often warned by staff about the dangers of possibly violating the consent decree.
Question: Does the consent decree require the City to poison its own children with lead?
********************************************************************************************************* In a message dated 2/4/2022 6:21:46 PM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
February 4, 2022
To: Mayor Himmelrich and City Council members
From: Board of Directors, Friends of Sunset Park
RE: 2/8/22 agenda item 1-C -- Atlantic Aviation Lease at Santa Monica Airport
The FOSP Board fully supports the letter below from Andrew Wilder, Chair of the Airport Commission.
We want to cease all storage, distribution, and sale of leaded aviation fuel from ALL equipment and storage tanks owned by the City, including those on the North side of the Airport, because of the welldocumented health and safety issues posed by lead pollution.
We have communicated with the Council in the past about leaded aviation fuel (Avgas):
Health hazards associated with lead have been documented since the 1920s. In 1970, Congress adopted the Clean Air Act, which set a timetable for phasing out leaded gasoline.
In 1996, it was banned for use in new vehicles other than aircraft, racing cars, etc.
A recent study at an airport near San Jose showed that the use of leaded aviation fuel has resulted in an increase in blood lead levels in children on par with those detected in children during the peak of the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
You received a letter from Sunset Park resident Alice Ellis, who had also sent a letter to the Council in 2015 after receiving this in the mail:
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2 “WARNING: The area within one kilometer of Santa Monica Airport contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Lead is contained in the aviation fuel (aka “Avgas”) that is used by small piston engine aircraft that take off and land at this airport. People living, working, or traveling near this location will be exposed to lead.”
Santa Monica Airport had been identified by the EPA as having some of the highest lead emissions among all airports nationally.
Well, it’s now 2021, and SMO is still pumping a quarter million gallons of toxic leaded Avgas every year. And there were nearly 60,000 landings and takeoffs by piston engine planes at SMO in the past year alone.
Clover Park and Hill & Dale Learning Center, serving infants and toddlers, is next to the runway.
The Growing Place Preschool in Marine Park, for ages 3 months to 6 years, is located under the departure flight path.
The Grant Elementary School playground lies within one kilometer of the Airport.
The sale of leaded fuel at SMO from city-owned tanks is inexcusable. Please make it stop! .
****************************************************************************************************************** In a message dated 2/3/2022 6:36:03 AM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, and Council Members,
The Airport Commission recommends that City Council further clarify to staff your intent with November 23rd Item 13‐D, and that it was indeed to cease all storage, distribution, and sale of leaded fuel from ALL equipment and storage tanks owned by the City, including those on the North side.
The Airport Commission previously recommended, and Council agreed, that it was important that the City of Santa Monica stop facilitating the sale of leaded fuel at the airport because of the well‐documented health and safety issues posed by lead pollution.
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3 It was the Airport Commission's understanding that the instructions to Staff were to address all City‐owned tanks, including those on the North side of the airport. However, at the January 11th Council meeting, the City Manager reported that "We are cautiously optimistic that the City would be able to transition the self‐serve fuel station that the City owns and operates on the South side of the airport from leaded aviation fuel to Swift UL 94 on or before April 1, 2022."
Based on this statement, and the discussion at our January 24, 2022 meeting, it appears that Staff intends at this time only to pursue the cessation and storage of leaded fuel at the South side of the airport. We ask you to clarify your original intentions with Staff, and our hope is that the City will continue to pursue all avenues possible towards eliminating the sale of leaded fuel from all City‐owned equipment.
‐‐‐‐‐
The above recommendation was unanimously approved (5‐0) at the January 24th Airport Commission meeting.
We very much appreciate your and Staff's efforts on this issue, and, as always, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Thanks so much,
Andrew Wilder
Chair, Airport Commission
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, February 7, 2022 10:12 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Feb. 8, 2022 Item 1 - C Extending Atlantic Aviation Lease Terms
EXTERNAL
Dear Councilmembers,
The City as a leader in sustainable practices should not enable the sale of leaded fuel at SMO.
In keeping with that vision, I encourage councilmembers to direct staff and the City’s negotiators to NOT include City owned fuel storage tanks in the terms of a renewed lease agreement with Atlantic Aviation if they are to continue to sell leaded Avgas.
Cathy Larson
Sunset Park Resident
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Vivien Flitton <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 9:51 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; David White; Joseph Lawrence; Rick Valte
Subject: City Council 2/8/22 Item 1-C - Atlantic Aviation Lease - Airport Commission Recommendation
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Team McCowan and City Council Members, Please cease all storage, distribution, and sale of leaded aviation fuel from ALL equipment and storage tanks owned by the City, including those on the North side of the Airport, because of the well‐documented health and safety issues posed by lead pollution.
Please do all you can to protect residents, particularly our children.
Sincerely,
Vivien Flitton
Sunset Park
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From: Council Mailbox
Sent: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 11:18 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: FW: Agenda item 1-C -- No more fuel tank leases for Atlantic Aviation From: Brodsky, Michael <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, February 6, 2022 3:28 PM
To: Council Mailbox <[email protected]>
Subject: Agenda item 1‐C ‐‐ No more fuel tank leases for Atlantic Aviation
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
It is time to end Atlantic Aviation leases of Santa Monica Airport City‐owned fuel tanks for the use of distributing dangerous Lead Avgas.
A quarter MILLION gallons of lead fuel is pumped at Santa Monica Airport and most of that lead, is dumped right back over people's homes and schools by the flight schools' repetitive pattern flying directly overhead.
Lead does not "evaporate" in the sky.
Every single gallon contains 2 grams of harmful lead ‐ that falls back to the ground.
Lead fuel is neither healthy, nor environmentally sustainable. It is toxic at any level.
It is time for the City to stop facilitating the distribution of toxic lead.
Sincerely,
Michael Brodsky
Santa Monica
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From: Diane Reynolds (MFT) <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 5:16 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; David White; Joseph Lawrence; Rick Valte; Stelios Makrides; Andrew Wilder; zinajosephs Subject: City Council 2/8/22 Item 1-C - Atlantic Aviation Lease
EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council Members:
For the sake of our children, families, community, public health, environment, and climate, please STOP leasing fuel tanks to Atlantic Aviation, who in turn sells about a quarter million gallons of toxic leaded Avgas at SMO every year. Please get in front of this issue!
Over 25 years ago, on Jan 1, 1996, leaded gasoline was banned by the Clean Air Act.
It was approximately 20 months later, in late 1997, that I moved to Pier Ave—in a home immediately north of the west end of SMO. Soon after, I became pregnant with my second child, who was born in early 1999. This neuroatypical child (now a young adult) has struggled with chronic health issues, measurable learning challenges, neurological and mental health issues since birth.
My eldest child, whom I became pregnant with and raised for the first three years in north Santa Monica, had none of these issues. None.
Coincidence? I can’t be certain. But you should know that I have spent innumerable hours, days, weeks, months, years, and now decades wondering with pediatricians, neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, and educational therapists, among many others, about how best to support this child in accessing needed services and resources in our public school system…and beyond. The multiple pollutants coming from SMO have crossed my mind as an identifiable risk factor during my pregnancy with this child (and beyond) many, many, many times. I became a specialist in infant‐ family early childhood mental health as a direct result of this experience of raising a neuroatypical child.
Residents living near SMO received this letter in 2015:
“WARNING: The area within one kilometer of Santa Monica Airport contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Lead is contained in the aviation fuel (aka “Avgas”) that is used by small piston engine aircraft that take off and land at this airport. People living, working, or traveling near this location will be exposed to lead.”
Leaded avgas is one of the largest sources of lead in our air and children within 1 kilometer of an airport have been found to have profound neurological reactions adversely affecting their learning capacity, behavioral, academic achievement as well as causing damage to renal (kidney) and cardiovascular systems.
>> The residents of the City of Santa Monica deserve to have City Council Members willing to engage courageously in deep critical self‐reflection on the issue of continuing to allow the distribution of lead based fuels at SMO. <<
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2 In another 5 or 10 years, you—and many others—will look back on this critical decision and wonder why it took as long as it did. Unfortunately, that will be far too late for my youngest child, now about to turn 23 years old.
Thank you in advance for your serious consideration of this issue—for all who have been impacted, are being impacted, and will continue to be impacted.
With appreciation for all that you do,
Diane
Diane Reynolds, LMFT, IFECMHS, RPF II
Infant‐Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist
Reflective Practice Training + Organizational Consultation Transformational Coaching for Individuals + Nonprofits
pronouns: she, her, hers
“Relationships are built at the speed of trust, and social change happens at the speed of relationships.” — Jennifer Bailey
Reflective Praxis Consulting
2401 Pier Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90405
[email protected]
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(310) 766‐2360
Lic# MFC34707
I acknowledge that I live and work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Kizh / Gabrielino peoples, the traditional caretakers of the ocean and land now known as the Los Angeles Basin, South Channel Islands, and Orange County, and I pay my respects to ancestors, elders, and relations, past, present, and emerging.
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