By now you all likely heard of the (04/30/2023) plane crash in Beverly Crest just west of Beverly Glen and South of Mulholland (images below). Our hearts go out to the pilot's family and while we await to hear if the tragedy was due to fog, a medical emergency or mechanical issue one thing is clear - residents concern for their own safety from the indulgent non-essential aircraft activity in our congested skies is warranted.  This exact reality is what Santa Monica Mountain residents (and Valley residents) fear most. By the Grace of Divine Intervention - this aircraft did not take innocent lives on the ground or spark a wildfire. It went down in thick fog between houses in a populated area just north of The Glen Centre.

As residents fight LAWA's defiant and reckless behavior over irresponsible expansion ambitions at VNY airport ( ✍️Petition: https://www.change.org/Stop-VNY-Abuse ) It's also time the FAA was held accountable for failing to reassess VFR indulgence in metroplex areas such as SFV which has high terrain, a dense population, high fire dangers and (often) thick seasonal fog in the mountain area. The before-mentioned and the over saturation of our airspace demands changes to VFR activity as well as some common sense mandates that will better protect innocent life on the ground.

1. The bare minimum of training is simply not acceptable.  Every pilot flying in a metroplex area should be required to hold an IFR certification and;

2. All aircraft should be mandated to be properly equipped to be flown under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and despite visual meteorological conditions (VMC) minima being stricter in controlled airspace.

We all remember the 9 people who lost their lives in Calabasas when a helicopter crashed into the mountain hillside - again in dense fog.  How many more times does this need to occur before stricter criteria and a respect and consideration for life on the ground from NON-essential aircraft is delivered?  No one should have to worry about an aircraft crashing into their or a loved one's home, most especially for privileged private flying indulgences.  ✍️Petition: https://www.change.org/Stop-VNY-Abuse

There are many reasons Valley residents and residents of the Santa Monica Mountains are protesting the ill-fated Bonseph Helinet lease and calling for City Council to REJECT it.  

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First and foremost, a recently released PowerPoint demonstrated abhorrent deception by Los Angeles World Airports (Airport Authority, LAWA) in their report and in their failure to disclose the truth to select Valley council offices when confronted.  LAWA deliberately and egregiously hid the fact that the Bonseph Helinet proposal was to introduce MORE Jets for Charter at VNY airport.  The ambition of introducing corporate Jet Charters to this Waterman Property (X-Woodley) contradicts City Council's long-term goals, and recent action of inquiring how to REDUCE and DETER the detriment of commercial jet charters at this landlocked GA airport.  When the foreign $$$$ investors (Bonseph) learned of resident reaction and the exposure of the truth, reports say they quickly LOBBIED select council offices trying to assert the JETS were for organ transport.  Now they very well may use one or two or so jets for such activity, but that is a LIMITED service and Helinet's business model, website and the Bonseh Helinet proposal itself does NOT support a claim that the MULTIPLE jets would only be used for medical runs but rather the goal of any business is to make profit and their business model includes Jets for Charter with "Turn Key" service for limo -> helicopter -> jet for the "Jet Set" - IE: (per Helinet's website) Fortune 500 Executives, Celebrities, Government officials and any other privileged party with deep pockets to pay for luxury and convenience.  The problem is, that luxury and convenience comes at the EXPENSE of our critical wildlife habitats, our shared environments and residents living in CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5, CD6, CD7, CD12 and also including the unincorporated cities of Calabasas and Hidden Hills.  Those hardest hit are the communities directly adjacent to the airport who are disproportionately burdened with the Air Traffic AND the Toxic ☠️ Fumes.

This PowerPoint also hyperlinks to City Records where Impropriety, Double-Standards, Blatant Lies and a Non-Competitive RFP were highlighted for scrutiny.  You can download this report in PDF form here:

A big THANK YOU goes out to Carolina Miranda, a columnist for the LA Times who covers the Entertainment Section of this coveted local paper.  Carolina recently wrote an astounding article on the growing environmental crisis that SFV residents are now suffering on a daily basis.  LA Times is the first media outlet to give this wholly unecessary and serious detriment the attention that it deserves.  Considering it impacts no less than two (2) million Valley residents, not to mention our shared natural spaces and ecosystem, it is unfathomable that major networks are not exposing what is happening "behind closed doors" at LAWA, a city custodian that has made BOAC an accomplish in circumventing State Assembly Bill "Environmental Justice" law intent of public knowledge, that means to allow input on their own fate.  To date the public's well-being is being dictated by negilgence, greed and Billionaires seeking to increase their weath by providing services (almost exclusively) to Millionaires and Big Business at the expense of the masses and our local environment.  

Carolina's feature will hit print tomorrow, Sunday 10/23/2022, but 🗞 LA Times subscribers got a sneak peak on Thursday 10/20/2022 at this link: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-10-20/kylie-jenners-private-jet-is-bad-for-the-residents-around-van-nuys-airport.  

We have also provided you a PDF copy of the article below: "Fallout from the Private Jet Set".

Since it's debut, Carolina's feature has been picked up by a number of outlets.  So far we've found two online publications who wrote their own inspired features off her (otherwise well researched) writing:

Daily Mail UK - October 21, 2022:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11341011/Curfews-celeb-jets-Stars-accused-blanketing-LA-neighborhood-fumes-private-jet-use.html

The Blaze - October 22, 2022: https://www.theblaze.com/news/celebrities-private-jets-climate-change-van-nuys