This bill would:
1. Establish the Los Angeles County Regional Airport Authority as a local entity of regional government with jurisdiction throughout the County of Los Angeles.

2. Require the authority to develop and adopt a comprehensive airport land use plan, including the identification of possible sites for the construction of a new airport for that county, and to coordinate the airport planning of public agencies.

3. Establish the governing body and structure of the authority and assign various powers and duties to the authority.

FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS:

1. A recent RAND Issue Paper, "Designing Airports for Security: An Analysis of Proposed Changes at LAX," looked at the proposed Master Plan for LAX and considered methods for improving LAX security. RAND studied the historical threats to airport security and discussed the various methods that terrorist might use to attack an airport. The RAND study concluded that "Restricting LAX capacity would make it a less prominent target for terrorist attack, while distributing air traffic more evenly throughout the region would help its air traffic system continue functioning in the event of an attack on one of its parts.

2. The population in Los Angeles County will continue to grow. In light of this growth, it is incumbent upon the region to take actions to provide for an economy that will create sufficient opportunity and wealth to ensure a high quality of life for all its residents.

3. The globally competitive industries of Los Angeles County already employ a high percentage of the labor force, and will continue to drive the region's economy as it competes in the expanding national and international markets.

4. Air transportation will be an important factor in fostering continued economic growth in Los Angeles County.

5. Because of the significant regional consequences of airport development and operations, it is important that the future development of major airport facilities in Los Angeles County be addressed in the context of a regional decisionmaking process that has regional representation.

6.While Washington D.C. has Dulles and National Airports and Chicago has O'Hare, Midway and Gary Airports, Los Angeles has only LAX. These major metropolitan areas, along with New York, Dallas, and others have multiple airports to provide air service for their city because it is difficult for one airport to handle the entire demand. In addition, the land area dedicated to LAX (3,500 acres) is among the smallest of a major airport while its annual capacity is one of the highest is the nation. In comparison, Washington Dulles sits on 10,200 acres of land, Chicago O'Hare has 6,600 acres, and Dallas/Fort Worth has 17,500 acres. Given LAX's small footprint it will have a difficult time in safely meeting the region's growing demand for air service. Although increasing capacity may be feasible, the constrained environment surrounding LAX makes any increase problematic due to an increase concern about safety issues.

MEMBERS OF THE REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY BOARD

The following members of a nine member board shall be appointed to the board as follows:
1. Member of the public representing the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County appointed by the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors.

2. Member of the public appointed by the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.

3. Member of the public appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

4. Member of the public appointed by the President of the city council of the City of Los Angeles or a member of the City Council designated by the President of the city council.

5. Member of the public appointed by the California State Senate.

6. Member of the public appointed by the California State Assembly.

7. Mayor of the most populous city in the northern area of the county.

8. Mayor of the most populous city in the southern area of the of the county.

9. Member of the public selected by the mayors other than the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles and the County's most populous southern and northern cities.

POWERS OF THE AUTHORITY

1. The authority may take by grant, purchase, devise, or lease or otherwise acquire and hold, real and personal property outside its area of jurisdiction in order to further its purposes.

2. The authority may contract with any department or agency of the United States, with any state or local governmental agency, or with any person upon those terms and conditions that the authority finds are in its best interests.

3. The authority shall have the exclusive responsibility within its area of its jurisdiction to study and plan any improvements, expansion, or enhancements that affect the regional airport system of Los Angeles County.

4. The authority may commission planning, engineering, economic, and other studies to provide information to the board for making decisions about the location, design, management, and other features of a future airport.

CONVENING OF THE AUTHORITY

The first meeting of the authority shall take place on December __, 2006. Any appointments not made pursuant to the above shall be appointed by the governor.