By JOSE HERRERA
Despite Los Angeles Councilmember Imelda Padilla urging the Board of Airport Commissioners to deny a proposal to renovate hangars at Van Nuys Airport citing concerns the bidding process violated the city charter, the seven-member board gave its approval to the project, which put the matter before the City Council.
In closed session on Thursday, commissioners discussed a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Bonseph Helinet LLC that alleged the city failed to renew the helicopter company’s lease and approve a request to upgrade its facilities after environmental concerns were raised by residents.
Airport commissioners voted to go ahead with the project at Van Nuys Airport, which is described as one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world.
“The lease with Helinet was unanimously approved by the commissioners after hearing the management report that outlined the request for proposal process and community benefits entailed within. The lease goes to City Council for approval,” according to a statement from Los Angeles World Airports.
“The City Attorney reviewed the (request for proposal) and opined that LAWA followed all applicable city laws and charter requirements,” the statement said.
Earlier this year, the City Council denied a 25-year lease with Helinet and agreed that more community input was needed before a contract could be finalized.
Helinet then sued the city in a bid to have its project move forward.
Charter jets leave a busy Van Nuys Airport hours before the Super Bowl starts in Arizona on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (File photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
Councilmember Padilla, who addressed the board Thursday during its meeting at LAX, said the “very big item … if approved” would have “big impacts in my district.”
The elected official represents the Sixth Council District, encompassing Van Nuys Airport and northeast San Fernando Valley communities, such as Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Van Nuys, Arleta and Sun Valley, among others.
Padilla noted Helinet’s request for proposal was previously approved by the board during a period in which there was no CD6 representative, alluding to a time after former Council President Nury Martinez, who held the seat, resigned following her participation in a leaked audio tape on October 2022.
She explained that Los Angeles World Airports failed to engage with a representative of the district and did not consider ways to maximize such a project for the community’s benefit.
The councilwoman further criticized the request-for-proposal process that occurred, noting that it failed to be “competitive,” meaning other bidders had a fair opportunity in securing the contract.
Padilla showed the commissioners documents such as emails from other businesses that had inquired about the process but did not receive proper information to pursue the contract.
According to Padilla, during the closed session, LAWA’s legal staff presented documents from Helinet offering a community benefit — fixing an observation deck — in exchange for approving their lease.
The councilmember urged commissioners to deny the proposal.
“What we really need to do is wait and either potentially reopen (the request for proposal) for a longer period of time so that we can have true competitiveness, and also have a discussion with the council office and the community,” Padilla said.
A representative for Helinet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a letter to the council’s Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee dated Feb. 5, William Lee, a former member of the Helinet Board of Advisors, said the proposal would support the company’s “important public health services.” Helinet provides helicopter services for charter, production, air medical and aircraft management in Los Angeles, with clients that include Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, UCLA, USC, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, UC San Diego and UC Riverside.
He noted the company would provide “much-needed renovations” to the airport’s observation area, where children and other community members would receive enrichment opportunities.
“There is no greater service one can perform than that of critical life-support services to the surrounding hospitals and the citizens they serve,” the letter read. “In short, when one considers the positive impact they have on just-in-time delivery of patients and organs, a caring person can only conclude that their plans to upgrade the facility to meet modern-day mission requirements outweighs any objections of those opposed.”
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On Feb. 8, at the time the tourism committee discussed Helinet’s lease, some residents of the Sixth District opposed it because they said it would lead to an increase in emissions. They claimed Helinet’s renovations would expand the use of jets and in turn lead to more air pollution.
According to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, airports such as Van Nuys Airport that accept federal grants must accommodate jets at their hangars if they arrive.
Ultimately, the trade committee recommended denying the lease, citing the company’s plans to renovate its hangars did not properly mitigate potential environmental impacts — a decision the City Council also concurred with.
Council members previously approved two motions introduced by Padilla to develop a specific plan for the airport and create a citizen committee to advise on the development of the site — with the aim of bolstering environmental protections and providing residents more of a say in how the airport is used.