Pinocchio Chronicles 15: Honor & the Board of Supervisors, #303

“It is better to be alone than in bad company.” ― George Washington

“Without integrity and honor, having everything means nothing.” Robin Sharma

“I would prefer even to fail with honor than win by cheating.” Sophocles

The December 8, 2021 Board of Supervisor Meeting: Palomar Airport

When taking office, San Diego County Supervisors Nora Vargas, Joel Anderson, Terra Lawson-Remer, Nathan Fletcher, Jim Desmond raised their hands. They pledged to “well and faithfully discharge their duties.”

At the upcoming December 8, 2021 meeting, the supervisors will be tested. Will they follow the law, the facts, the Board’s past promises to Carlsbad, and Superior Court Judge Pollock’s order? Or will they place campaign contributions from the business community over common sense and community noise, traffic, pollution, and safety concerns?

The Stakes

In 1979, county supervisors and Carlsbad council members made a pact. In return for receiving Carlsbad McClellan-Palomar Airport city services, the county promised to keep (Palomar) as a small “General Aviation Basic Transport” airport (an FAA term). County accepted Carlsbad Conditional Use Permit 172. CUP 172 requires county to amend the permit if county wants to change the Palomar airport classification.

From 1980 until 2019, the County Counsel advised the Board of Supervisors that county was not bound by Carlsbad laws.

But in January 2021, thanks to the efforts of the Citizens for a Friendly Airport (C4fa) group, Superior Court Judge Pollock reminded county that when the county asked Carlsbad to annex Palomar land within Carlsbad, the county bound itself to the CUP terms. County chose not to appeal.

In 2019, the Carlsbad Council adopted resolutions opposing converting Palomar from the smaller FAA-rated B-II airport to the larger D-III airport. Council members supported keeping Palomar as a B-II airport and increasing runway end safety.

County’s 2021 Palomar Course

The facts are: With an added runway west-end (predominant aircraft take off direction) EMAS safety system and with a 1000-foot east end lengthened unpaved Runway Safety system, Palomar can already serve aircraft flying to most U.S. cities. But one percent (1%) of Palomar customers want to sometimes fly to China without having to use San Diego International Airport. So the One Percenters care little whether the other 99 percent living and working near Palomar suffer.

And what has been county airport staff’s response to CUP 172, the Carlsbad Council Resolutions, and Judge Pollock’s Order? Shakespeare said it well: “His promises were, as he then was, mighty; but his performance, as he is now, nothing.” (King Henry VIII) Or – translated for math majors: Let airport expansion protesters be damned.

Stay tuned for what Supervisors Vargas, Anderson, Lawson-Remer, Fletcher, and Desmond do. The first sign at the December 8, 2021 meeting will be whether Supervisor Desmond recuses himself from voting. His Conflict of Interest statements say he is a commercial airline pilot who has made hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions from flying aircraft into and out of San Diego airports for years. No supervisors should vote on a matter that materially affects their financial interest.