“Supporting Airports, Strengthening Communities”
Please check for updates:
* Above obtained from CS SW OCT 31, 2024
Historical Perspective:
About the photos - Special to SCAUWG.ORG from Matthew Stone - "The first two images and last are from--of all things--a cigarette matchbook issued on behalf of Whiteman Air Park, undoubtedly by Marvin Whiteman has Whiteman's name stylized as he had it in his company signs. This little matchbook gave remarkably detailed pattern info for WHP (which was using its old runway then (I would guess 18/36)), such as its 800 ft TPA.
The other photos date to much later...the late 1960s and show the surrounding area. The most notable feature of these are the first clear views of Whiteman's racetrack. (Per Jim Miller, Marvin Whiteman had put that project together on the basis of his own involvement with stock cars and to keep racing nearby but off the streets.)" - M.S.
01/31/2026 "... I snapped photos of the historical advertisement posters present in the WHP terminal that lean into the past just as the matchbook does." -Mathew Stone
Historical Posters photographed by Matthew Stone
Special Notices:
This Page (2) was Added 06/18/2026 For Whiteman Airport Page 2 Please Click Here
News, Challenges, Events & Correspondence:
06/19/2026 The Whiteman Airport opposition - A May 5, 2026, Letter supporting Supervisor Horvath's motion (described via earlier coverage) - Pro-airport supporter's comment: "These anti-airport supporters seem to profess they would like safety and studies, as long as no funding is secured for airport improvements, and the results of the sought-after studies suits their alleged biased already determined and alleged poorly informed opinions."
WAC on iNSTAGRAM
06/19/2026 Honoring the Hagopian's who have dedicated their volunteer efforts toward the preservation and betterment of Whiteman Airport. VIDEO - They are featured as part of the WAC releases on Instagram. Just Click on the image.
(SFVS/el Sol Photo/Danara Castañeda)
06/18/2026 From the San Fernando Sun/el Sol: Community Members React to Latest Local Plane Accident Out of Whiteman Airport 6/17 Written by
Lazaro Gonzalez, who works at a hangar near Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, was arriving to work on Tuesday morning when he noticed a commotion – firefighters, onlookers and a completely wrecked small plane in the parking lot outside of the landing area.
Just eight weeks after the April 20 crash landing of a single-engine Cessna in Pacoima – where it ended up upside down in the parking lot of an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store on Van Nuys Boulevard – it was yet another plane wreck out of Whiteman, Gonzalez realized.
“It’s scary because, you know, I work here and sometimes I’ll be here for three or four hours, maybe five hours in the hangar,” Gonzalez told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol about the accident happening so close to his workplace. “Sometimes I ride my bike back and forth [in this area] for maybe one hour … so it’s gonna be a little scary for me after this [crash].”
The accident involving the single-engine plane was reported at 9:11 a.m. on June 16, just beyond Whiteman’s runway, near 12653 W. Osborne St. The plane had landed on the runway, but its landing gear didn’t deploy properly, causing it to skid through a perimeter fence before stopping in the adjacent parking lot. - The 77-year-old pilot was transported to the hospital, visibly distressed, but suffered only minor injuries. You can read the entire account Here
06/18/2026 Webmaster Ron Berinstein on behalf of SCAUWG.ORG responded to the above Article published by the "Sun." The comments were published.
06/18/2026 Community Members React to Latest Local Plane Accident Out of Whiteman Airport - The San Fernando Valley Sun - Additional accident coverage from the San Fernando Sun/el sol and report of WAC released comments.
6/16 ACCIDENT (credit: KTLA)
Rodriquez on Facebook (credit Fox Local)
06/17/2026 City Councilmember Monica Rodriquez on video addressing the 6/16/2026 WHP accident. She charged that this was the fifth accident in six years, that WHP is a threat to her district residents, and is unregulated. Critics of the councilmember who appeared to be visibly aging suggest that she is either vastly uninformed about the regulations imposed by the FAA, and even CalTrans, and that cities impose whilst addressing airports, or she should be more honest. "Let her try to build an airport! She will quickly find out just how much airports are regulated!" " was one comment. On social media her assertions went overwhelmingly unwelcomed. Another comment: "Monica Rodriquez said she messaged Supervisor Horvath stating that the County is not "being responsive to the safety concerns...," (and other charges). One might inquire about how many messages of that character Councilmember Rodriquez has sent to Councilmember Imelda Padilla, whose district includes Van Nuys Airport, and that has experienced many more accidents associated with it, than those quoted at Whiteman and haven't resulted in a single community resident fatality." One can view the Fox Video here.
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06/16/2026 Supervisor Horvath immediately issued comments regarding the most recent (6/16/26) accident. Actually, it might be said that the accident provided an opportunity to issue a press release stating her previously held political platform. Critics of the Supervisor mention that should she desire to represent her district faithfully, she might consider withholding hyperbole and speak maturely, rather than scrip speech with official looking graphics, that allegedly she knows is lawfully irrelevant, but is designed to be a rally call for her political benefit, at the community's expense.
Supervisor Horvath response to the 6/16 accident
06/15/2026 The Whiteman Airport Coalition (WAC) has announced their brand-new website. Whitemanairport.com. There is a link enabling quick comments to local political leaders. Their press releases will most certainly be posted on the site.
- Visit our "email local leaders" page here and fill in your full name, neighborhood and email. Be sure to use your real info so our elected leaders know they're hearing from actual constituents.
- Then, select which groups you want to message. Choose from LA County Board of Supervisors, LA County Public Works or the LA City Council. You can even select all three!
- After that, just hit the "Open draft email" button and your auto-generated email will pop up in your default mail application (you can also manually copy and paste it if necessary). * Hit send, and off it goes.
06/13/2026 Whiteman Airport Association Display Day will be held tomorrow June 14, 2026 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Signings of paperwork will be in Hangar HH09 from 10:00anm until 1:00pm. - Other items of interest:
06/12/2026 From the Mission Hills Neighborhood Council website: https://www.mhnconline.org/mission-hills-hears-about-entities-benefitting-our-community/
The coalition shared about the many businesses, nonprofits and jobs provided as a result of the Whiteman airport Peri. They noted that the airport is so profitable it is supporting two other airports. They invited everyone to come to the Community Day on June 27 to a free family festival to learn more about aviation.
The airport has been granted to operate in perpetuity and each time contracts are conferred, they too stipulate how long the airport must be open. Nonetheless, the county is using funds intended to maintain the airport to instead study closing the airport. This has depleted the airport from funds that can help it continue to operate safely and prevents it from entering long term leases which would also benefit the airport and the community. In addition to the jobs that it provides for the surrounding community, it is noted that the airport actually provides a buffer to airplane noise from the Burbank airport. Currently the noise is generated by mostly small single engine airplanes. The airport has a three mile zone around it for the safe operation of those planes. Should the airport be closed, then the large noisy jets that fly into Burbank would be permitted to fly directly over the neighborhood currently protected by the Whiteman Airport.
06/12/2026 This excerpt from Horvath staff. This quotation is something to concern ourselves with:
“Barton Heliport and Whiteman Airport are separate facilities and should not be viewed as interdependent. The future of Barton Heliport is not predicated on the future of Whiteman Airport,” said Constance Farrell, Horvath’s Communications Director.
“Barton Heliport is not large enough to accommodate the Fire Department’s operational needs, including the addition of two Sikorsky Firehawks funded through voter-approved Measure E,” she added.
Guest comment: "I believe we can agree that Farrell's statement is plainly false, given what we have heard from LA County Fire and airspace realities (coordination with BUR). - Whether Farrell is being intentionally deceptive or simply uninformed is not clear (but we can certainly speculate); however, what is clear is that Farrell is only a political mouthpiece...a spokeswoman, not a pilot, a firefighter or an aerial firefighter. Whatever her other credibility, Farrell's standing to speak on Barton matters pales in comparison to that of the LACoFD fire chief who operates from Barton. (Horvath and her staff should absolutely be deferring to the FD--not that I expect that.)" - M.S.
06/12/2026 Opinion Recently Shared: "...some background info to the latest WAC release prior to the SVANC meeting. The plaza with the Subway just off the end of the runway is up for sale and makes mention of the airport's ongoing political battle as part of the sales pitch. As I related to her, I do not believe that there is much to that comment and there are other explanations for why the owners may be seeking to sell (little San Fernando Road just beside it is an epicenter of RV encampments). Still, it did attract some interest and speculation." - M.S.
06/11/2026 An update: Whiteman Airport Coalition presentation (by Estevan Roth) at the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council meeting was well received and their Community Impact Statement supporting was voted forward (I believe it's passed outright and to be send along to the City Council now)
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- Because Roth is not traditionally the main presenter for the WAC, he did bid me to assist him a little with some comments and points, which I did (a few specifics such as the scheduled retirement date of 100LL and a few other small bits)
- One neighborhood councilor did express some concerns about lead while explicitly making her support for continued airport operations clear; Roth and myself did speak to her concerns--she ultimately abstained from signing onto the letter (which passed 10-0 with her abstention)
- One point I hammered in my own comments--brief as they were--was the blocking of safety efforts by anti-airport voices like Pacoima Beautiful
- Beyond that, the meeting was mostly uneventful...SVANC is known to be friendly to WHP
- Because Roth is not traditionally the main presenter for the WAC, he did bid me to assist him a little with some comments and points, which I did (a few specifics such as the scheduled retirement date of 100LL and a few other small bits)
- The various officials' representatives (for Horvath/Monica Rodriguez/Celeste Rodriguez/Caroline Menjivar) made no statements regarding the airport at all
example: available property
06.10.2026 The Case for Redeveloping Blighted, Vacant Properties Before Closing Whiteman Airport - From WAC - "Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors continues to spend time and millions of taxpayer dollars studying closure and redevelopment scenarios for Whiteman Airport.- But here is the question nobody will seems willing to answer: Why is the County considering closing one of the region's most important public assets while vacant and underutilized properties sit idle all around the San Fernando Valley? - The Redevelopment Sites Already Exist - Just down the street from Whiteman Airport sits several boarded-up commercial buildings on a prime piece of real estate at the corner of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Osborne Street. Neighbors tell us it’s remained vacant for decades."
Webmaster Comment: The answer to the above question is relatively simple: The County owns the airport. The County would have to purchase the locations referred to in this article. Yat the case is compelling as the County is committing funds toward closing the airport that could otherwise be used more profitably. You can read this very well illustrated commentary from WAC by Clicking Here. - Caution: This link may not work with VPNs engaged.
06/06/2026 Another Lead Study [though not directly pointed at WHP]
COUNTY BOS ORDERED LEAD STUDY - ENTIRE DOCUMENT CLICK HERE
0607/2026 Guest Comment: "So far, I've not been too hurt to hear the lead issue because inaction on leaded paint, pipes, etc while caterwauling about the airport only proves a lack of genuine interest in solving lead matters...perhaps this new effort will change that, though this still seems to be passive tracking rather than action (a large scale effort against legacy leaded paint and the like). The way I see it, the entire issue is fading and becoming truly nothing more than a talking point with 100LL headed into the sunset. The longer the pols wait and the closer the phaseout gets, the less credibility pols can pretend to have with other sources sitting idle with no retirement on the books." - M.S.
6/03/2026 Aviation Commissioner Rudy Villarreal rumored to resign his commission seat following his electoral victory; Rudy Villarreal (Lakewood City Council District 2, California, candidate 2026) -Commissioner Villarreal captured 52% of the vote.- SCAUWG.ORG welcomes the political contribution the commissioner will offer as a Lakewood City Councilmember, and wish him our very best!
06/03/2026 Guest Comment: Some notes regarding the June 2nd Public Election: [Nothing too surprising]
- Predictably, Horvath easily secures reelection--but it's not the 'mandate' she claims (<200,000 votes amid a district of ~2 million)
- Monica Rodriguez (unopposed) wins with a listed 100% of the vote -- Rodriguez' campaign account actually boasted about this, apparently unironically
- At the WHP Airport Association meeting, I opined Rodriguez' folks would fawn over these returns--numbers that'd "would make Saddam Hussein blush"
Rodriguez' endorsed allies (1 of 3 successful):
- City Attorney: Hydee Feldstein-Soto (defeated: Feldstein-Soto has been trounced, a very distant 3rd place)
- City Controller: Zach Sokoloff (17 pts behind incumbent Mejia, probably defeated; I am not sure the 50+% 'autowin in primary' condition applies to this seat)
- Mayor: Karen Bass (headed to November runoff - Bass' future is something of a wild card in today's politics)
LA City Council District 3 seat:This is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the night's events, because of its apparent potential for a 'proxy war' between various anti-WHP elected officials and known figures. However, at this time it's not clear how serious the divide between them (over their prospective CD3 candidates) is:
- Tim Gaspar: leading with 49% of the vote currently
- Endorsed by Monica Rodriguez, John Lee
- If Gaspar can clear 50%+1 of the vote in the primary, he can bypass the November election altogether
- Rodriguez actively pursued and used the 'June primary autowin' tactic in 2022 to avoid the November elections
- Given Gaspar's current tallies, it seems very possible
- Barri Worth Girvan: trailing with 39% of the vote
- Endorsed by Lindsey Horvath, Caroline Menjivar
- Menjivar staffer Teodora Reyes and Pacoima Neighborhood Councilmember Walter Garcia appeared with Girvan in a San Fernando Valley Young Democrats event
- C.R. Celona: predictably trounced...he had no money to speak of and never had a serious chance on that basis
Overall, it'll be interesting: it might be advantageous to see the CD3 race turn bloody, as discord among these pols and known anti-WHP actors might help the pro-airport cause. We do not yet know how competitive or bitter these two sides are about one another.Beyond the CD3 race, the most prudent matter to tend to is probably investigating Hilda Solis' successor (Maria Elena Durazo) in Supervisorial District 1. I have not read too much about Durazo yet--she'll be of direct relevance soon, so I'll have to catch up sooner or later on her. - M.S.
06/03/2026 Guest Comment: Whiteman Airport Association 06/02 Meeting Notes: It was a fairly sedate meeting with about 12 people in attendance. However, there are a few key points to relate from it and the recent AvComm meeting in El Monte:
- The Trifilleti report has been pushed back again:
- Jim Miller related Jason Morgan's AvComm meeting statements that Trifiletti is now seeking:
- To conduct more small 'focus group' meetings in July with a larger meeting for the community
- Host another community event off-airport akin to the December event (perhaps in August)
- Projected release of the Trifilleti report is now late 2026; nothing concrete
- If there was any details or discussions about a need/request for further monies, resources, etc with the AvComm, Jim Miller did not relate these
06/02/2026 - The Whiteman Airport Association will be meeting tonight to discuss a number of items of interest.
Olsen Ebright, Head of Digital, Atlas Consulting, our Public Relations firm will be at the meeting. He has been compiling video interviews of people about what the airport means to them and how they have been positively impacted by the airport. This is a chance to discuss your personal story about Whiteman Airport. The interviews will be shown on various Social Media platforms as part of the Whiteman Airport Coalition outreach. These are positive uplifting interviews about what we do at the airport.Hear about the upcoming Whiteman Aviation Community Festival, June 27, 2026. We will discuss the event and some special operating procedures which will be in place for safety purposes.We will also discuss some construction activity related to the replacement of the building which used to be the office of Marvi Whiteman and will impact the taxiway adjacent to the Blue hangars. The work will result in the closure of the taxiway for two days.05/29/2026 Att: City Council District - West Valley - Resident / Voters.
SCAUWG.ORG RESPONSE TO A DISTURBING GIRVAN ANSWER
FULL TRANSCCRIPT AND COMMENT - CLICK HERE
Editorial: To Be fair, besides the continual flow of text messages each characterizing Girvan as the representative of every community segment from the Girvan Campaign regardless of notification of our criticism, Tim Gaspar has chosen to reach out by phone. SQUAWG.ORG commented in a similar way to a live caller who represented that he would escalate the data. There was no further response except from similar callers reading from a script and without knowledge of my time-consuming detailed conversation with caller number one. Likewise, after two requests for comment on his website, C.R. Celona Independent, did not respond either. Our observation is that at least Mr. Celona is not part of the already established, City Hall "Club."
Comments:
1. Whiteman Airport was there since the forties. Everyone surrounding it located there later by their choice. LA City Zoning regulations deemed it safe. Everyone buying property near the airport had to sign escrow papers SAYING THAT THEY KNEW THERE WAS AN AIRPORT NEARBY!
2. Airports by law cannot, and do not control pilot qualifications. Those are federal matters. Should that not be the case, Monica Rodriquez could argue to close city owned Van Nuys Airport, as Van Nuys has had many, many, more accidents associated with it than Whiteman.
3. How about LAX? Should nearby residents propose closing LAX because an Alaska Airlines jet crashed while preparing to land and everyone on board was killed? Edwards AFB? Should it close because a B-52 just crashed killing 8? Should Reagan International close because of the recent helicopter / jet accident?
4. There are hundreds of car accidents on our freeways and roads daily nearby Pacoima. Should San Fernando Road and the nearby freeways with the cars and trucks that emit pollution, and have homes and businesses on both sides of them, cease operations immediately pending studies?
5. Residents know this: Should the airport close, imposing a tremendous overload and congestion for at least two other local airports, and possibly flight delays, and certainly delayed emergency firefighting responses, the associated redeveloped land use will most certainly turn public land to private-for-profit enterprise, and cause area residents to face higher rents and receive eviction notices, and be forced to relocate in order to accommodate new construction.
6. LA County has seen fit to allocate over one million dollars composed of community social find monies, combined with airport revenue and other funds to study land use for an airport necessary for area emergency service and already given the FAA benefit of perpetuity, and special airport reliever status.
7. Supervisor Horvath says she supports improving local fire response service and advocates for an improved Whiteman airport, yet for years she has denied funding for Whiteman. Additionally, LA County sends Whiteman revenue to at least two other County owned airports starving Whiteman of its own revenue.
8. It’s time that our politicians start actually representing what is truly good for our communities, and not what may be good for the pocketbooks of certain special interests.
9. The helicopter base chief has said Whiteman is necessary for them to provide efficient response. The devastating fires were fought by helicopters from Whiteman. The Sandy fire was fought by Whiteman Helicopter first responders. Search and Rescue is headquartered there, Thousands of free rides for community children have been made available from there.
10. Whiteman Airport needs to stay public. Low-income housing can be built elsewhere, thus protecting the area re3sidents from strain on natural resources and the resulting traffic congestion