As you may already know, the City of Long Beach filed what is known as a demurrer asking the judge to throw our case out before it was even heard. The judge denied Saner’s claim that the “stop. taxi-back, and go” procedure should be treated the same as the four listed operations in the noise ordinance when it comes to flight training and curfew hours. We still believe that the clause “or any of them” was put in the ordinance to protect the neighborhoods from excessive flight training operations outside of the noted curfew hours. It just makes sense. We don’t believe that a built in loophole in the noise ordinance was intended nor should it be used to get around the ordinance and allow flight training outside of curfew hours. The judge did however allow SANER to come back to amend the petition with an amended writ of mandate showing multiple reports with thousands of violations, complaints and airport violation reports that don’t reflect any of the prohibited operations. You can see SANER’s response to the original demurrer in the previous post here.
In this post, you can see our Writ of Mandate (end of this post). The first several pages are the writ, and the following many pages are the back up. Currently, the judge is taking his time to go through the case and our next date will be sometime in the spring. Stay tuned!
First and foremost, thank you to everyone who has stood with us over the past few years. What our community has endured from nonstop flight-school noise has been exhausting, disruptive, and unfair and your support has kept this fight moving forward.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
After the holidays, if you’d like to help pass out flyers as we go door-to-door, please let us know. We’ll be getting organized soon after the holidays.
At The SANER Group, our mission is to proactively reduce small aircraft noise and lead pollution around Long Beach Airport.
We advocate for both legislative and local city changes to close regulatory gaps and protect residents’ rights to peace and quality of life.
Through comprehensive research and targeted fundraising, we explore every possible avenue for practical solutions. Our efforts are informed by data and guided by collaboration with experts to develop effective strategies that drive meaningful impact.
Hats off and thanks to those who guided the making of this statement.
One of our SANER FB members started her own $25 matching fundraising drive on the page and people are responding. How about you? With the generous donation of an Anonymous member, today we went over the $20,000 mark. Thank you to all who are contributing.
–Most recently, City officials have done it again folks! They approved a MASSIVE project that will increase airport operations impacting the neighborhoods even more! They approved plans for a large new hangar complex for private chartered flights out of Long Beach Airport.
The company behind the project at 3605 E. Spring St. is Aeroplex Group Partners owned by Curt Castagna the main leaseholder at LGB, which will lease the space to private operators and fixed based operators. The company has similar operations at Van Nuys and Santa Monica airports. The owner also holds the master lease to most of those hangers at LGB that are leased to the flight schools and pretty much runs/controls all of GA at Long Beach Airport! And one more fact he also gave large campaign donations to our elected officials!
“The discussions over environmental impacts from airport operations will continue, “but this proposal should be differentiated as it will serve newer, clean and quiet jet aircraft associated with private travel,” according to the staff report.” more… -visit the thread on FaceBook to see the conversation there.(can’t provide link since it’s a private group)
–New Noise Study out… “At the UC Davis Noise & Emissions Symposium held on March 4, we heard a deep dive into the history, evolution and legal aspects behind the FAA’s current 65 DNLnoise threshold policy. It supported our view that the threshold policy crafted for meeting airport-specific noise statutes (Part 150 and land use) is not appropriate for National Environmental Policy (NEPA) compliance.” more…
One member shared a response to their email to the Mayor which generated this response. It looks pretty similar to a response that another member in a completely separate email received from Kerr’s office. I received the following response today from my weekly email to the Mayor’s office:
We hear your concerns regarding airplane noise and pollution and want to assure you that general aviation activity is a top-of-mind concern for this office. We have taken note of your input for our records, and we continue to work with our local and federal partners on trying to find lasting and meaningful solutions. Please keep in mind that we do not have local control over federally regulated airspace or flight operations; that is under the regulatory power of the FAA.
Since 2022, a series of actions have been taken by the City Council and Long Beach Airport (LGB) to facilitate the move towards unleaded aviation fuel and addressing general aviation activity. Below is a brief timeline of steps thus far:
· October 2022 – City Manager, Airport staff, and stakeholders began working to establish a plan to reduce and mitigate lead pollution, by exploring possible incentives programs.
· December 2022 – The City Council voted to waive fuel flowage fees for unleaded avgas.
· August 2023 – Unleaded fuel became available at LGB, from Signature Aviation @ Aeroplex.
· September 2023 – Councilwoman Kerr requested a comprehensive report on general aviation, including detail on how the use of unleaded fuel could be incentivized, which the City Council approved. Airport staff subsequently published the Oct. 31, 2023, memo.
· November 2023 – The City Council approved a Supplemental Type Certificate Fee (STC) reimbursement program, which took effect this month and provides up to $300 for aircraft owners to obtain required approval from the FAA before their plane can use unleaded fuel (www.lgb.org/stc).
· December 6, 2023 – Councilwoman Kerr traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of the FAA and EPA. In each meeting, each organization fielded at least 10 representatives, all of whom listened intently and in good faith to the issues we are facing locally. We established the need to be partners on these issues moving forward. We aim to enlist the backing of the FAA and EPA when it comes to the actions we can take. She was also able to meet with representatives from Senator Butler’s Office, Senator Padilla’s Office, Representative Garcia’s Office.
· December 2023 – The City Council received a presentation from the Airport and City Attorney that provided an opportunity for Councilmembers and the public to hear and discuss the details of the Oct. 31 report in depth with the relevant departments, to answer any questions, and to clarify any confusions. The City also came up with 7 recommendations that the City and appropriate city departments, including the city attorney, continue to work on:
1. Pursue Voluntary Agreements with LGB Flight Schools
2. Review Increasing the Noise Ordinance Violation Fee Structure
3. Increase Community Outreach and GA Educational Materials
4. Support Strong Federal Advocacy for Lead-Free Skies
5. Confer with FAA on Feasible Operational Solutions
6. Explore Additional Incentives for Unleaded Fuel and Fly Friendly Program
7. Explore with FAA a Temporary Moratorium on New Flight School Business Licenses.
· January 2024 – Councilwoman Kerr met with Congresswoman Barragan to discuss the continued partnership and work needed to address the general aviation activity, including the use of unleaded aviation fuel at Long Beach Airport.
· January 2024 – Councilwoman Kerr met with the Long Beach Airport Association and shared the concerns of the residents.
· January 2024 – Councilwoman Kerr and her Chief of Staff attended Congresswoman Nanette Barragan’s Community Meeting in Cal Heights.
· January 23, 2024 – Council voted on Item 14, to take another step in incentivizing the transition to unleaded aviation fuel at LGB. With this vote, the city will implement a new subsidy program to offset unleaded fuel costs for general aviation users. LGB is one of a handful of airports across the nation to offer local subsidies and incentives as we continue to advocate for federal regulations.
· March 15, 2024 – City staff released an updated report on general aviation at LGB, which also addressed a number of questions brought forward by community members at the Council meeting presentation in December.
While we understand the concerns and frustration you and more of our neighbors are experiencing, it is important to remember that as a City, we do not have local control over federally regulated airspace or flight operations; that is under the regulatory power of the FAA. We will continue to work with our federal partners and advocate for our community.
In the meantime, we encourage you to continue to share your concerns with us, the Long Beach Airport hotline at 562-570-2665 or email lgbnoise@longbeach.gov, and your federal representatives. We will continue to provide updates as they come via our weekly newsletters. We will also add you to our list of constituents interested in Airport-specific updates to ensure you are aware of any news as soon as it comes.
Office of Mayor Rex Richardson | City of Long Beach
Office: 562.570.6801
This, in spite of the fact that NOTHING HAS CHANGED! In fact, it’s gotten worse. Seems like they are reverting to auto reponses now.
May the skies be Peaceful this weekend. (may be worse as it’s Grand Prix weekend…)
SANeR is now distributing several thousand new flyers to airport adjacent neighborhoods. Please contact us if you are able to help us walk flyers- we’d LOVE your help! One of our devoted members is organizing the flyer distribution. (Thank you!) You can also print your own flyers here and pass them out to your neighbors and friends who are affected by this increase in general aviation noise and pollution.
When distributing flyers, please make sure to secure them somewhere visible on the porch in a way to prevent them from blowing away. Do not place them in the mailboxes (it is illegal to put anything in mailboxes unless it had proper postage affixed to it). If you speak to neighbors as you walk the flyers, let them know we have new yard signs in the works which should be ready next week and they can request one now by contacting us with their name and address and we will make sure we get one to them. Let them know about the SANeR GoFundMe campaign and that as soon as we reach our $25,000 goal, we will be hiring legal counsel. We are over halfway there now! Thank you for your help in getting this information out to the community.
Welcome to everyone who has been subscribing here! This site will help keep you informed on what SANeR is doing and alert you to upcoming events. If you are not aware, there is an upcoming meeting at EXPO Center on Atlantic addressing the newly proposed 7 story housing development on Wardlow and Cerritos Ave. Many SANeRs will be in attendance. A seven story building may affect flight patterns coming off of 26L and 26R.
For your convenience, we have compiled a list (UPDATED 8/25/2025) for you and a couple of sample emails when you wish to use them. Edit the sample letters as desired to personalize them. For those that don’t know, the airport is covered by two districts- District 4 (Councilmember Supernaw) and District 5 (Councilmember Kerr). However, ALL council members vote on all items so it’s good to let them all know your thoughts.
We suggest you “bcc” or blind copy your emails to officials. This way they don’t know who all is receiving the emails. Copy and paste this list into your contacts as a group to saveyou time each time you send them an email.
To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to express my outrage and frustration at the unbearable noise and pollution inflicted upon our communities by excessive general aviation training flights. The skies above our neighborhoods have become a cacophony of buzzing engines, leaving us with shattered peace, headaches, and a constant sense of unease. The irresponsibility of flight schools, both local and non-local, is simply unacceptable. Their unchecked operations have turned our communities into sacrifice zones for their profit-driven endeavors. We are no longer willing to tolerate this blatant disregard for our well-being and the environment. The constant drone of airplanes disrupts our daily lives, making it impossible to relax in our own homes, enjoy outdoor activities, or simply have a conversation without shouting. The toxic fumes emitted by these aircraft pollute our air, posing a serious health risk to residents, especially children and the elderly. This uncontrolled chaos cannot continue. We demand immediate action from our elected officials to address this issue. We urge you to: Impose stricter regulations on flight schools, limiting the number of training flights allowed per day and establishing designated training zones away from residential areas. Limit the amount of daily practice training such as touch and go’s. Implement landing fees on all general aviation. Invest in noise-reduction technologies for aircraft operating in our airspace. Conduct an extensive noise/lead study. Work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement stricter regulations/national standards for general aviation training. We are not asking for the impossible. We simply want to live in our communities without being subjected to excessive noise and pollution. We deserve to breathe clean air and enjoy peace in our own homes. We urge you to act now. The health and well-being of our communities depend on it. Sincerely, _____________
Sample letter #2 Dear elected officials, Please remember that we live here, raise our families here, do business here and VOTE here. Never, ever have we, the residents, been attacked, yes attacked, daily by what you are ALLOWING to happen overhead. YOU are giving more grace and allowance to flight schools instead of helping the actual residents of Long Beach, Lakewood and Signal Hill. ( yes our neighbor cities are also being impacted and destroyed) The incessant noise, lead poisoning, diminished quality of life, anxiety, loss of sleep and productivity is not acceptable. The number and NOISE of GA flights is unregulated, the time between flights is mere seconds or minutes, the altitude above our homes is dangerous, the poison from the leaded fuel is life threatening, the value of our homes will be negatively impacted and our quality of life is definitely depleted. WE DESERVE BETTER! Sincerely,________
This post will also be linked in the sidebar under “Contact Officials” for easy reference. (It’s useful to to create a “mail to” group in your email address client and name it something like “LB Officials” so you can send to the whole group easily. Most of you probably know this but some may still be copying and pasting individually.)
SANeR welcomes you to join us in restoring peaceful and quieter skies to our neighborhoods. The past few years we have experienced ever increasing aviation noise that disrupts our daily lives to an intolerable extent. Subscribe by email at the top right to receive news and updates in your inbox.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Long Beach SANeR Group 