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Dear Friends,
Wishing all happy holidays and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Palo Alto City Council’s Annual Council Priorities Survey is open for resident input. Thanks to you, airplane noise was listed on the City’s 2023 priorities as part of Community Health and Safety. Please ADD YOUR SUPPORT to keep Community Health and Safety, and Airplane Noise as a City priority in 2024!
Submit feedback to Council on 2024 priorities, here. There is a place to indicate your neighborhood, register comments, and the option to show your name or not.
Year Ahead:
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In 2024 we are looking for Palo Alto jet noise complaints to be put on the City Council, or the Policy & Services Committee Agendas. (Policy & Services is the home for intergovernmental relations issues, and is where previous Councils have directed airplane noise for community updates and discussion). OR, preferably, for the City to launch the Council Ad Hoc Airplane Noise Committee, raised in potential plans earlier this year, but for which no update has been given.
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When airplane noise is put on an open public Agenda, the Council is required to give the issue and YOUR CONCERNS consideration. It is also the best way to document, track, and transparently report about City initiatives and allocation of resources. A Council “study session” is not enough because study sessions are intended to not result in Council votes about policy, or direction. With topics that can take years to address, enhanced Council engagement and accountability to residents is necessary to better track goals and milestones. And especially when these concern community health and quality of life.
Brief Update on Congressional Initiatives: On December 1, five CA congressional leaders introduced quiet skies bills. We appreciated that their press communications raised the serious health threats from aviation noise and defined “night” as the hours of 10 PM - 7 AM. It should be noted however that the same bills were previously introduced on December 24, 2019; unfortunately with no traction then, and their future remains uncertain. So we will continue to encourage support for the Voluntary Night Time program - an option presented by the FAA and unanimously supported by the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals for Reps Eshoo and Panetta’s districts which account for nearly 70% of the noise complaints to SFO.
THANK YOU to all who write, call, and advocate with our elected officials, and for reporting intrusive flights!
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