Roar

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- After ballot arguments submitted to the city clerk last week sparked anger and debate on both sides of the Restore Our Airport Rights initiative, both supporters and opponents of ROAR filed rebuttal arguments Monday. "There are major discrepancies in the argument against ROAR, and we had to point that out," said Ted McConkey, former councilman and coauthor of ROAR's rebuttal. "We can't let people think that everything is OK. They've got to know it isn't OK, and what they told you simply isn't true."

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- Vowing to recirculate an airport initiative rejected by the City Council, members of Restore Our Airport Rights said they would hit the streets by mid-May to collect more than 5,300 names. After some fine tuning of the petition, ROAR volunteers will begin collecting signatures again in May. A few minor provisions will be cut, along with some changes in the wording, ROAR co-founder Howard Rothenbach said. Councilman Bob Kramer said he would sign the petition again and offer his support to the grass-roots group.

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- A grass-roots group plans to hit the streets in early June in an effort to regather more than 5,200 names for a measure to impose strict limitations on any new terminal at Burbank Airport. Members of Restore Our Airport Rights said they remain determined to require the City Council to secure a mandatory curfew at night and a cap on flights, along with other provisions, before approving a new terminal at the Airport. ROAR co-founder Howard Rothenbach said the group has introduced changes that will ensure the measure gets on a ballot in 2001.

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- Members of Restore Our Airport Rights will take one more look at the fine print before they submit their revised initiative to the city clerk - probably next week. Although organizers of the group, founded by former Councilman Ted McConkey and activist Howard Rothenbach, say the initiative is basically complete, they postponed submission of the measure May 22. The initiative would require the City Council to secure both a curfew on flights at night and a cap on all flights before approving any terminal deal with the airport.

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- A grass-roots group seeking to limit airport growth fumbled the submission of its ballot initiative by failing to include a written statement stating the reasons for the petition, the City Clerk said. The group, which submitted its initiative Aug. 3, didn't include a "notice of intent," City Clerk Judie Sarquiz said Thursday. Sarquiz said she would meet with group organizers next week to iron out the problem. Restore Our Airport Rights chairman Howard Rothenbach, who founded the group with former councilman Ted McConkey, said he was stunned by the development.

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- After missing another crucial deadline, the leaders of an initiative to limit growth at Burbank Airport acknowledged they wouldn't be able to offer their petition to voters in the April general election. Instead, Restore Our Airport Rights, known as ROAR, will look toward the next round of city elections in 2003. In order to qualify for the April ballot, members of ROAR -- a group seeking to require the City Council to secure a mandatory curfew on flights at night and a cap on aircraft operations -- had to submit their petition to the City Clerk's office by Wednesday.

In regard to the front-page column on Restore Our Airport Rights in the Aug. 26 edition of the Leader ("ROAR plan destined to fail again"). The columnist mentions that those of us involved in ROAR have a record of getting one thing after another seriously, egregiously wrong. To me, the initial ROAR initiative failed on a technicality. A technicality, much like the City Council encountered when letters regarding airport expansion were mailed to Glendale and Pasadena residents.

After watching our latest PERC meeting on television, I am truly amazed at these committee members. One would think that being given the honor of appointment, the last thing they would do is give so much credit to those meddling ROAR members and their ilk. Why, on one broadcast the committee spent more time asking Howard Rothenbach his opinions about what we should do with the airport than our own city manager, who...

Lolita Harper BURBANK -- Howard Rothenbach has been watching the Burbank City Council for years, and he is not pleased with the direction it's going on airport and redevelopment issues. That's why Rothenbach, 55, is running for one of the three seats up for election. Burbank's primary election is Feb. 27. "I'd like to be involved in changing that direction to be more in line with the interests of the people," Rothenbach said. Although it is his first run for a seat on the council, Rothenbach believes that his experience as founder and chairman of Restore Our Airport Rights (ROAR)

Darrell Satzman and Amber Willard BURBANK -- The point may be moot now, but Burbank officials feel vindicated just the same. State Attorney General Bill Lockyer ruled this week that Burbank City Clerk Judie Sarquiz acted appropriately when she disqualified the Restore Our Airport Rights ballot initiative in March. Lockyer said the city of Burbank was not only correct to reject a petition by opponents of Burbank Airport expansion, it was obligated to do so. ROAR officials, now in the process of putting together a revised initiative to present to Burbank voters, said they still believe the initial petition was valid.

It was a big weekend of soaring and roaring fundraising in Burbank as the Verdugo Hills Council of the Boy Scouts of America staged their 39th Annual Big Strike Auction and the Kiwanis Club of Burbank presented its 14th Annual Car Show. More than 200 supporters of local Scouting convened at the Burbank Airport Marriot for the Verdugo Hills Council's annual fundraiser on Saturday evening. Presented under the theme Eagles Soar, to pay homage to the 100th anniversary of the Eagle Scout program, the evening was hosted by the event's chairman, Brent Frost , and the organization's president, Dennis Barlow . Notables in attendance for this event, which raises funds that help support more than 3,200 area Scout programs, were Rep. Adam Schiff , City Clerk Zizette Mullins , City Treasurer Debbi Kukta and former Glendale Mayor Sheldon Baker . Among those who made the event a success by their presence and work were Dan Humfreville , Jane Barnett , Steve Smith , Dede Mueller , Anthony Asheghian , Lupe Shubert and Heidi Davenport . Fundraising continued the following day at the Kiwanis for Fun Club of Burbank roared into Johnny Carson Park for the club's always-successful car show.

Take a dilapidated motorbike and an enthusiastic science teacher, add a half-dozen enterprising students and some expert volunteers, and what do you get? An engaging, two-month engineering lesson and one seriously tricked-out ride. The Luther Burbank Middle School mascot mini-bike project was born out of teacher Joe Reed’s Exploring Technology class, where students study in a hands-on atmosphere of physics, robotics, electronics and forensics. Included in the coursework is disassembling and assembling a 5 1/2-horsepower engine.

Spectators and car exhibitors agreed that the Road Kings 18th annual Picnic Car Show was a great outing for the whole family. There were at least 750 cars on display throughout Johnny Carson Park in Burbank on Sunday. The day kicked off with breakfast cooked up by the Burbank Kiwanis for Fun Club and singing of the national anthem by Elizabeth Chadwick, a 13-year-old who attends Luther Burbank Middle School. Parents and youngsters surrounded the booth of exotic animal ambassadors, making their debut from Busch Gardens and SeaWorld San Diego, which are owned by Anheuser Busch, the car show's largest corporate sponsor.

I am writing in regard to Lee Brandt's letter ("Above the din, can you hear the question?", June 2). I have to say that I'm glad you wrote. I am very appreciative of the fact that others in Burbank want a quiet city. By the way, Lee, you will be happy to know that Noise Free America bestowed the Noisy Dozen Award on Burbank in May. I'm sure, however, that you and others will not be happy to hear that former state Sen. Maurice Johannessen crafted two pieces of legislation to raise the decibel level on mufflers to 95. He allowed a special-interest group to circumvent the community's legal right to quiet enjoyment of their premises.

Ryan Carter An appeals court has apparently sealed the fate of an initiative crafted by residents to limit flights and expansion at Burbank- Glendale-Pasadena Airport. The three-judge panel of the state's 2nd Appellate District ruled last week that the city's discretionary power trumps the initiative known as Measure A, the Restore Our Airport Rights initiative, or ROAR. The measure passed in October 2001 with 58% of the vote. It called for mandatory flight curfews and restrictions on facility expansion.

AS IF YOU ASKED On Wednesday, I wrote about supporters of a political action committee demanding Burbank's council let them name representatives to sit in on an upcoming airport-related summit meeting in Washington, D.C. In written and spoken demands, one founder of ROAR (Restore Our Airport Rights) and other supporters declared expenses for the overseers should be "paid for by the community." But at council meetings in Burbank and Glendale this week, after Wednesday's column was written, the ROARers with wanderlust clarified they will pay for their travel, not taxpayers.

Myles Grene, 11, of Burbank is a sixth-grader attending Luther Burbank Middle School. If you are looking for a movie for the whole family, you have found the golden ticket. "The Lion King" has been re-released in large IMAX format. Simba and all of his friends and foe are back bigger, louder and better than ever before on the big screen. The movie is essentially the same as it was in 1995, but with a few clever add-ons. Scar is still his evil and ruthless self, making him a perfect villain.

While I'm sure Will Rogers thinks it's a corny concept, it's hardly an act of "cowardice" for our City Council to aver to the "will of the people" in upholding the terms and conditions of Measure A. In fact, it's absurd for Rogers to infer that there's something brave and heroic about our council spending taxpayer funds to defeat a voter initiative designed to constrain the power of that very same governing body;...

In light of the recent court decision against Measure A, ROAR's opponents shouldn't start gloating too soon. Besides relying upon the ridiculous irony of a citizen initiative against big government being lambasted as "unconstitutional," Measure A critics are now suddenly on the hot seat. They'd better stop giggling and start thinking about just what the defeat of ROAR really means. The people of Burbank made their feelings clear when they passed Measure A by a clear majority.

PERC isn't doing as designed, and that's OK Apparently there's a lynch mob in the distance coming after me for a recent letter I wrote making fun of the PERC Committee and its reliance on ROAR members for valued input. But before they do too much damage, I have to plead guilty here in the Leader. It was a joke, guys. Clearly, I was making fun of the fact that this PERC Committee is not doing what it was designed to do, which was to validate the official desire for an expanded airport operation.