Responding to the NBC Coverage entitled LA County leaders appear to shift blame on wildfire response – Story by Conan Nolan and Karla Rendon,
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath alleged the mayor’s office failed to communicate with her and coordinate issues related to fire recovery efforts, per correspondence obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Lindsey Horvath demonstrated by her defunding of Whiteman Airport, making further FAA fiscal support impossible, in step with her plans desiring the airport to close, evidenced by her support for a $1.3 million closure study, failed to publicly recognize the Whiteman staff and the related services provided that were firefighting essentials across the basin. She has cited environmental reasons, contradicted by the county’s studies and an SCAQMD report, as motivation to close the airport, which according to the FAA contractual obligation must stay open, the result of a 1999 land purchase. Reasonably, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath should embrace the performance and potential for emergency services at Whiteman Airport in her district rather than blame anyone for not supporting recent lifesaving efforts.