Paul Clinton
CIVIC CENTER -- Let the signature gathering begin.
A group seeking to impose strict limits on future growth at Burbank
Airport is poised to hit the streets with their revised petition, after
ironing out a procedural snafu with the city clerk.
The group, Restore Our Airport Rights, hadn't filed a "notice of
intent" when organizers handed it off to City Clerk Judie Sarquiz's
office Aug. 3. But Howard Rothenbach, who co-founded ROAR with former
councilman Ted McConkey, rectified the problem Aug. 11 by filing a
supplement.
The notice of intent tells prospective signers why the group is
circulating the petition.
City Clerk Judie Sarquiz said she hadn't rejected the ROAR measure,
only advised Rothenbach that it didn't conform to state election law.
"I think he's on track at this point," Sarquiz said. "That's what he
should have done in the first place."
Sarquiz had rejected the group's earlier petition March 15 because it
didn't properly identify supporters. At the time, Sarquiz said it didn't
have a notice of intent.
The ROAR petition, which has been heavily criticized by city
officials, would require the City Council to secure a curfew on flights
at night and an annual cap on flights before allowing the
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to build a replacement
terminal. In it's latest application, submitted Aug. 14, the airport
agreed to get the curfew before a new terminal is built.
The group must gather 5,214 signatures from Burbank voters to qualify
the measure. Rothenbach said the group will try to collect 6,000 names,
in case some are invalid, as it aims for the April ballot. The group must
collect approximately 200 names a week for three months to meet that
goal, Rothenbach said.
ROAR volunteers are expected to hit the streets later this month.
The group made several changes to the ballot measure in the new draft
-- stiffer fines for curfew violations, a two-thirds voter approval of
any changes and a ban on lengthening the runways were among them. ROAR
has introduced a more polished proposal, Rothenbach said.
"The new initiative is much better written," he said. "And we're more
sophisticated about what we need."
