Letter sent to
The Orange County Transportation Authority (Mr. Steve Wylie, Assistant Chief Executive Officer).
Planning and Development Services, County of Orange (Manager, No Name Provided).
Orange County Regional Airport Authority. (Mr. Art Bloomer).
 

October 21, 2002

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the federally and state recognized metropolitan planning organization for the area encompassing Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. It is tasked with developing the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), a transportation infrastructure plan to meet forecast growth. An integral part of the RTP is the Regional Aviation Plan that examines how Southern California will meet future demand for passenger air travel, air cargo and general aviation.

The Aviation Task Force (ATF) is responsible for developing forecasts of air passenger and air cargo activity (in five-year increments) to 2030, developing an implementation plan to meet the forecasts and coordinate an airspace evaluation in support of the aviation element of the RTP. The task force is composed of elected stakeholders, transportation agency representatives, airport officials and aviation industry representatives.

At the first Aviation Task Force meeting on September 25th, 2002, SCAG staff was directed to collect information from each county to be used in our aviation planning efforts. To this end, we request the following information:

- Each county in the region has demand for aviation services (passengers, goods movement, etc.). In your county, what, if any, aviation forecasts for air passengers, air cargo and general aviation through the year 2030 (in five year increments) have been completed?

- Considering the above forecasts, how does your county plan to meet its aviation demand? Has there been a countywide aviation and/or airport master plan completed? Or, are there any countywide policies that deal with aviation planning?

Over the next four to five months SCAG staff will be working to update regional forecasts for aviation demand. To the extent possible, the Aviation Task Force would like staff to utilize data provided by the counties in this process. President Hal Bernson would like to have information from each of the counties within 60 days, or by the middle of December 2002. SCAG staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

The Aviation Task Force and SCAG would like to thank you for your time and effort. The information your county provides will help the Aviation Task Force make decisions that will have positive impacts on the economic development, quality of life and livable communities for all Southern Californians.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Alan Thompson, SCAG Senior Aviation Planner at (213)236-1940 or thompson@scag.ca.gov. We look forward to receiving any information that you can provide.

Sincerely,
 

Judy Mikels
Supervisor, Ventura County, District 4
Chair, Aviation Task Force