Neighbor News
Pinocchio Chronicles, The FAA Dodging FOIA at Palomar Airport, Part II
FAA FOIA Cooperation ?
Last week’s article highlighted an FAA El Segundo Director email about this author’s FOIA requests to the FAA about McClellan-Palomar Airport (MP). The Director groused “Mr. Ray Bender, who has been granted media status … has tried to work the system by using said status to submit ongoing FOIA HUGE requests for McClellan-Palomar Airport (MP) (Carlsbad, CA), costs waived, WHILE sending letter (sic) to various FAA offices as spokesperson for the activist group Citizens for a Friendly Airport. … “
The FAA WPR Director failed to note he denied the original fee waiver request. He thus delayed record production for one year until Wash D.C. reversed the denial. Not exactly an FAA effort to be transparent and cooperate with the community.
Interestingly, though the Director sent the email to 17 FAA HQ staff members, the email was buried within 2810 record pages produced 3.5 years late in reply to a Sept 2021 FOIA request. No email copies from the 17 FAA recipients. Yet the records sent included about 40% duplicates. Did the FAA want to bury the email in a last minute, duplicate record avalanche? Nor was the Director content with one email. Among others, he said in August, 2018:
Find out what's happening in Carlsbadfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“Heads Up! Mr. Bender is a blogger who takes exception to the County of San Diego’s Airport Master Plan process for [MP]. … FYI, Mr. Bender has submitted numerous FOIA request (sic) over the past few years so he understands what we have (and do not have) in our possession. If anyone needs more background feel free to ask. I would prefer (sic) discuss in person (or phone) rather than email.”
Not just Bender, but the SD Superior Court, took exception to the 2018 Palomar Master Plan and EIR. After Judge Pollock tossed the PMP and EIR, SD County chose a 200, not 800 foot, runway extension and kept MP an FAA-rated B airport.
Find out what's happening in Carlsbadfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Why all the FAA Director hubbub? Multiple bogey man emails: Bender is coming. Warnings to discuss Bender off the record. Is it so hard for an agency to just gather and give the FOIA records requested especially when its Community Involvement Policy encourages the FAA to coordinate early and often with the community? What does the FAA hide? Plenty. Stay tuned for Part III.
