Whiteman Airport Page 2

“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.

Special Notices:

This Page (2) was Added 01/14/2026    For Whiteman Airport Page 1   Please Click Here

News, Challenges, Events & Correspondence:

02/08.2026   Horvath won't run for Mayor - Good/Bad for KWHP?

02/04/2026   A Mayor of Bakersfield at the time (2006) petitioned the FAA to close Bakersfield Airport and allow a redevelopment project.  The scenario closely parallels the circumstance at Whiteman Airport. The FAA answer closely follows issued FAA guidance for deciding these types of requests when the airport has not satisfied a grant "assurance," the obligation the recipient agrees to when the grand is accepted.  There are other airports that also contribute to precedent setting examples.  This is good reading.  View it Here

02/01/2026   From CityWatch 01/08/2026 -  Misguided Venture Reveals Supervisor Horvath’s Dark Side - "When Lindsey Horvath ran for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2022, she sold herself as a fresh voice. She prevailed at the ballot box, buoyed by a Los Angeles Times’ endorsement that crowned her as the “golden ticket” to a new and brighter political world.  - But Horvath, a 43-year-old Ohio native who cut her political teeth in West Hollywood, has not proved to be such a fresh voice after all as she seeks reelection this year to the Board of Supervisors, one of California’s most powerful and least scrutinized elected bodies. - Horvath’s flip-side as just another slippery Old School politician has been on display with her conniving, arrogant and dishonest handling of a plan to construct a 167-bed homeless housing project on land donated with a charitable and binding promise, aka the Bandini-Jones covenant, that the land be used exclusively for veterans. - The Bandini-Jones covenant is named after two philanthropists who donated hundreds of acres in 1888 to an arm of the federal government with the condition that the donated land, including what is now the West LA VA campus, be used only to benefit veterans."  Continue Reading this very detailed article Here

Webmaster Notes: Supervisor Horvath represents District 3 which includes the Pacoima Area. She is a frequent guest on Spectrum TV and in earlier in her private life she had an advertising and PR Firm.  She has directly overseen and led major government initiatives involving large-scale real estate and property development in her roles as a Los Angeles County Supervisor and former Mayor of West Hollywood.

• Transit-Oriented Development (Metro Board): As a member of the LA Metro Board, she has facilitated Joint Development projects intended to deliver 10,000 new housing units near transit hubs in areas like Santa Monica and the San Fernando Valley.
• Post-Disaster Rebuilding Authority: Following the 2025 Southern California wildfires, Horvath spearheaded the creation of a Rebuilding Authority. This body is designed to coordinate construction, select developers, and use tax-increment financing to buy fire-damaged lots for rebuilding at scale.
• Affordable Housing & Homelessness: She authored the motion to establish the first-ever Department of Homeless Services and Housing (DHSH), which centralizes billions in funding for housing development and supportive services.
• Public Infrastructure Projects: She has championed major infrastructure developments, including the Rory Shaw Wetlands Park (a project combining flood control with recreational space) and significant rail extensions like the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail.

It is also worth noting that her Director of Budget, John Leonard, previously served as the Economic Development Director for West Hollywood, where he specifically oversaw public/private real estate development and property development functions under her leadership.

02/01/2026    SCAUWG,ORG response to the above CityWatch article   (from Jan. 8, 2026)

"This article is a testament to conscientious journalism. CityWatch is to be complimented for publishing it, John Schwada is to be complimented for writing it. Though sad to say, this behavior, if correct as written, may not be limited to just the Armory project.

i am inviting John to investigate her desire to close Whiteman Airport. On her own website (March 2024) she published, "...Chair Horvath emphasized, the County will not seek future funding from the FAA that would further lengthen aviation operations at Whiteman Airport, a measure that is also in alignment with her November 7 motion on the future of the 78-year-old airport." Yet FOIA requests resolve that no funding freeze has ever been written,

Every nearby neighborhood Council supports Whiteman. A survey found that the majority of the community do as well (reference EAA Chapter 40). Opponents had to offer petition seekers $22 an hour to try and get signers. It would appear that that sentiment might not matter.

Whiteman Airport was responsible for fast helicopter departures whose mission it was to save people's lives and property during the LA fires. On one hand says she is for protecting LA County from future disasters and on the other hand she appears to favor developer interests and close the airport that played an important emergency services role.

The community was allowed to believe that the airport could close when twenty years passed from the last FAA grant received. That was misinformation, as Whiteman, because of an old BOS ordered real estate purchase, enjoys a "perpetuity" benefit. However, even after being notified by AOPA, NATA, NBAA, SCAUWG.ORG, & VAI of that benefit the Horvath sponsored $1.3 million study to determine possible airport land uses was passed.

So, Joihn Schwada, refer to SCAUWG.ORG > Airport Data > Whiteman, as this should be your next assignment,"

01/31/2026   The Four Stacks Are Going Away, this aerial Photo was taken January 28, 2026, by Matthew Stone

01/31/2026   ECHOES from the past have resurfaced - Once supported by Pacoima Beautiful So Cal Gas Company's Aliso Canyon Facility is leaking gas again See Here. - Why is this noteworthy?  It brings attention to the fact that Pacoima once supported the Gas Company and the facility.  Coincidently, during that pewrikod of time Pacoima Beautiful accepted money from So Cal Gas Company.  From The LA Times - Nov 2020  -  "Still, small expenditures can have an effect — either to build support or to preempt opposition. Take Pacoima Beautiful, which fights for cleaner air in the mostly Latino, low-income northeast San Fernando Valley. Between 2014 and 2018, the environmental justice group took $107,750 from Sempra subsidiary SoCalGas. - In August 2016, Pacoima Beautiful’s executive director, Veronica Padilla, wrote a letter to state officials in support of reopening the gas company’s Aliso Canyon storage facility, which a year earlier had sprung the worst methane leak in U.S. history.

We have full confidence in the ability of SoCalGas to deliver resources in a safe, reliable and non-hazardous manner,” she wrote. Eventually her group stopped accepting SoCalGas funding, and today it’s pushing Los Angeles officials to shut down a gas plant whose fuel is supplied by SoCalGas. The city-owned plant recently leaked methane for at least three years, raising concerns about potential health effects to nearby residents."

• Access Clean California: In 2022, Pacoima Beautiful was part of a coalition that received funding from Southern California Edison and the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz) to expand access to clean energy and transportation programs in Los Angeles.
• Edison International Foundation: While Pacoima Beautiful focuses on environmental justice, Edison International (the parent company of SCE) frequently lists them as a partner or participant in community initiatives. For instance, Edison International has historically funded environmental groups serving low-income communities in LA, which has included Pacoima Beautiful.
• Fire-Safe Community Grants: SCE's parent company has collaborated with the California Fire Safe Council to provide grants for community fire prevention in its service areas, which include the San Fernando Valley where Pacoima Beautiful operates. 

• Greenhouse Gas Violations: In 2021, SCE paid a $350,000 settlement to the California Air Resources Board for failing to accurately report its use of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), a potent greenhouse gas, over several years.
• Wildfire & Ecosystem Damage: SCE has paid hundreds of millions in settlements for wildfires caused by faulty equipment. Most recently, in 2025, it agreed to an $82.5 million settlement for environmental and property damage caused by the 2020 Bobcat Fire, which impacted the nearby Angeles National Forest.

• 2024 Revenue: The organization reported total revenue of $5.64 million for the fiscal year ending in 2024.
• Major Current Funders: Recent high-profile donors include the Bezos Earth Fund, the Liberty Hill Foundation, and government grants like the $23 million Transformative Climate Communities grant from the California Strategic Growth Council.
• LADWP Projects: In 2025 and 2026, Pacoima Beautiful has been active in the Electro Bici Program, funded by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), which is a different utility than SCE. 

01/31/2026   Burbank Airport could be next scene of mid-air crash, airlines warn NTSB - From ABC News - VIDEO-ARTICLE  "BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday expressed concerns over the dangerous possibility of the next deadly mid-air collision happening at Hollywood Burbank Airport. - The NTSB chair says its commercial airlines that are sounding the alarm, and says the FAA should take the warnings from airlines seriously. - "I keep hearing about other areas in the airspace where they are concerned. Burbank is one where commercial airlines have called me to say the next mid-air is going to be at Burbank, and nobody at FAA is paying attention to us," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a hearing, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration. "So, whether it is involving helicopters or not, people are raising red flags, and why aren't people listening? The FAA has to ensure safety. That is their job."

Tuesday's hearing was part of the investigation into a deadly mid-air crash near Washington, D.C. last year that left 67 people dead and involved an Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane. - Whether it's helicopters like the deadly crash in D.C., or private aircraft, the concern is the amount of traffic coming and going from Burbank Airport and Van Nuys Airport in a relatively small airspace. Both airports are extremely busy. - According to the Aviation Safety Reporting System, there have been six near mid-air collisions at Burbank Airport since Jan. 1, 2021. The NTSB is demanding that the FAA take action."  Read More Here.

    Webmaster Note: Van Nuys East Pattern was lowered as of 1/05/2026,    See VNY LTA Here

01/31/2026   Attention WHP Pilots - Danger nearby -     Burbank Airport could be next scene of mid-air crash, airlines warn NTSB - From ABC News - VIDEO-ARTICLE  "BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday expressed concerns over the dangerous possibility of the next deadly mid-air collision happening at Hollywood Burbank Airport. - The NTSB chair says its commercial airlines that are sounding the alarm, and says the FAA should take the warnings from airlines seriously. - "I keep hearing about other areas in the airspace where they are concerned. Burbank is one where commercial airlines have called me to say the next mid-air is going to be at Burbank, and nobody at FAA is paying attention to us," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a hearing, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration. "So, whether it is involving helicopters or not, people are raising red flags, and why aren't people listening? The FAA has to ensure safety. That is their job."

Tuesday's hearing was part of the investigation into a deadly mid-air crash near Washington, D.C. last year that left 67 people dead and involved an Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane. - Whether it's helicopters like the deadly crash in D.C., or private aircraft, the concern is the amount of traffic coming and going from Burbank Airport and Van Nuys Airport in a relatively small airspace. Both airports are extremely busy. - According to the Aviation Safety Reporting System, there have been six near mid-air collisions at Burbank Airport since Jan. 1, 2021. The NTSB is demanding that the FAA take action."  Read More Here.

    Webmaster Note: Van Nuys East Pattern was lowered as of 1/05/2026,    See VNY LTA Here

01/29/2026   February 8, 2026, 10:00am to 2:00pm-Whiteman Airport Display Day.  Signings of Display Paperwork from 10:00am to 1:00pm at Hangar HH09.

01/29/2026   February 3, 2026, 7:00pm-Whiteman Airport Association Meeting at Civil Air Patrol Building Classroom 1 (Old Rocky's) 12653 Osborne Street (use Google Maps).  We will be discussing an exciting initiative to use a Public Relations campaign to highlight the Airport.  We will need your help and financial support to make this a success.  We will also discuss new positive information concerning the future of the airport. Finally, Clyde Carpenter, President of EAA Chapter 40, has taken on the job of coordinating an Airport Career and Family Day at Whiteman Airport (Open House) .  We will be supporting this effort and need your help.  We are entering a critical time with the final report from Trifiletti Consulting due out in June and a decision from the Board of Supervisors to follow.  Our goal is to demonstrate our commitment to the airport, bring to light the critical need for the airport and the public's overwhelming support for Whiteman Airport.

01/28/2026   January 28, 2026 10:00am-Los Angeles County Aviation Commission Meeting at Brackett Airport.  "The agenda does not have anything being voted on and appears to be just updates to ongoing issues and initiatives." - Comment by Jim Miller.

01/27/2026   Good News for Duncan Thomas!  Confirmed last week, Duncan Thomas is the newest LAC Aviation Commissioner. Many forecast that Commissioner is a favorable choice of many GA advocates,  He has been observed as a, "straight shooter."

01/25/2026   Airport Closure Request to FAA - How Might the Response Be? - The Following Addresses Bakersfield:

Page 1 FAA response to the City of Bakersfield

For the Full Very Revealing Document that illustrates Clearly the FAA Guidance followed for such matters - Tap or Click HERE.

01/14/2026    Current Subject: Unrealized Needed Airport Maintenance.   Suggested has been that Supervisor has ordered verbally that no FAA Funding intentionally meant to sustain the needed repairs, be accepted so as to eliminate the 20-year grant assurance contract and allow for airport closure.   Well, no evidence of a written directive seems to exist, but the fact is no grant has been applied for, and needed maintenance has gone unrealized.

Well, it appears that the truth was revealed in writing on Supervisor Horvath's website.  Below is the webpage dated March 4, 2024.

THANK YOU to Matthew Stone for his diligent work collecting WHP press material.

HORVATH REVEALS:  THIS IS IT!   ON HER WEBSITE, AND IT REFERENCES AN LAC BOARD MOTION DATE!       

-The Link:

https://lindseyhorvath.lacounty.gov/whiteman-airport-unleaded-fuel/

SEE PARAGRAPH #3:

"Moreover, Chair Horvath emphasized, the County will not seek future funding from the FAA that would further lengthen aviation operations at Whiteman Airport, a measure that is also in alignment with her November 7 motion on the future of the 78-year-old airport."

November 7, 2023  Motion 20      Reimagining Whiteman Airport
Statement Of Proceedings

November 7, 2023 BOS Meeting Transcript    Comments re: Motion 20 begin on page 283.
1151446_110723.pdf

1/14/2026   Special to SCAUWG.ORG:   Review Notes of the 1/13 Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council Meeting w/ Guest Speaker Imelda Padilla - Reported by Matthew Stone Guest Contributor -

The 1/13 meeting of the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council (SVANC) began at 6pm and went to its 7:50pm limit (the library hosting the event was closing as everyone piled out). The event was attended by roughly 30 people. Los Angeles Councilwoman Imelda Padilla (Council District 6 (CD6)) spoke for about 45 minutes from 6:10pm to just shy of 7:00pm prior to departing.

Imelda Padilla received a long list of questions from SVANC regarding local matters and a handful of questions from the public--my own included.
My questions to Imelda Padilla (with the LACP article proposing Whiteman be turned into a soccer stadium in hand) were:

Are you aware of this proposal, put forward by Veronica Padilla-Campos ([her] sister) and do you support it? What is your reaction to this suggestion to close this airport after seeing its important work meeting the devastating events of the January 2025 fires?

Imelda Padilla acknowledged she did read the 'make Whiteman into a soccer stadium' LACP article this morning (1/13) and is aware of Padilla-Campos' proposal.

Asked about her stance on the matter, Padilla demurred that she is 'so committed to other matters in CD6, including Van Nuys Airport as it deals with its landswap plans' that she is uninterested in political participation related to Whiteman (as it is in Monica Rodriguez' Council District 7) and directly referring to her similar April 9th, 2025 answers to me. When I reminded Padilla that Whiteman is a County facility subject to County oversight, she referred the matter to Lindsey Horvath. Padilla had no retort to the mention that Whiteman is a County-wide matter by virtue of its County-owned status and regional operations.

The only 'defense' Imelda Padilla put up regarding her sister Veronica Padilla-Campos' soccer stadium was referring to the quote in the LACP article wherein Padilla-Campos insisted her group (Pacoima Beautiful) has "never suggested that the emergency part of the airport be closed." When confronted with the facts that the LA County Fire Chief already explained the importance of and need for Whiteman's tower (which would not remain in the event of closure) to realize LA County's existent operations as-is and the reality that CALFIRE and other emergency operators use the airport/runway itself (not LA County Fire's co-located Barton Helipad), Padilla had no real retort.

Imelda Padilla simply re-emphasized the claim that Pacoima Beautiful has 'never advocated against the emergency services there.'In response, I noted that contention does not mesh with the realistic effect closure would have (LA County Fire's Barton Helipad operations would be, at best, hindered and CALFIRE/others' ability to operate would be flat out eliminated). While she did not get combative, emotional or rude, Padilla did not go any further on the question of Whiteman's future--instead referring it to local nonprofits (no specific names) and other pols (M. Rodriguez/Horvath) as a matter for them. As with the April 2025 meeting, Padilla abdicated any sort of involvement in the matter of Whiteman Airport despite its proximity.

Later on in the meeting, I publicly spoke to highlight the poor reasoning Imelda Padilla (who had left) had given--reminding attendees of the County-wide nature of the matter as well as the looming threat that the Pacific Palisades' plight could have befallen Sun Valley or other places. In a brief 1 minute comment, I pointed out that Imelda Padilla was essentially leaving local people voiceless about the airport's future despite its proximity and the enduring local and political interest in it. While the crowd was respectfully quiet, there was certainly no outward disapproval of those sentiments.

In chatting with folks as the meeting adjourned and people quickly piled out of the closing library, it was quite obvious that there is plenty of local interest in the issue of Whiteman Airport and that the general 'vibe' of the neighborhood council members was supportive of the airport, disapproving of closure particularly. None of the several I personally spoke to seemed moved by Imelda Padilla's contention that "it is a District 7 matter." To them, it is of interest and a topic for further discussion.

I believe Imelda Padilla was honest...she is probably not actively participating in anti-Whiteman efforts at this time.With Imelda Padilla's allies and people close to her (such as her sister Veronica Padilla-Campos who proposed the stadium idea) involved in anti-WHP efforts, Imelda Padilla has no real reason to actively involve herself. On the other hand, her actions signal very, very strongly that she favors closure even if she doesn't say so. Deliberately vague answers and a refusal to condemn closure efforts lends credence to this belief, especially after the January 2025 fires.

Regardless of her own stance on airport closure, the stadium proposal or other Whiteman-related politics, Imelda Padilla is shirking the matter and its broader implications. On that alone, she is failing her constituents. As busy as she is, this is an item that belongs on her plate--but she isn't dealing with it publicly.  -  MS

01/10/2026

Dear Whiteman Airport Community and Stakeholders,

Happy New Year and thank you for your continued engagement in the Whiteman Airport Land Use Study!

On behalf of the Study team, we would like to thank everyone who attended and participated in the Whiteman Airport Land Use Study Open House held in December 2025, as well as those who engaged with us through other outreach activities throughout the past year. Your time, thoughtful questions, and feedback are an important part of this process.

The materials shared at the Open House are now available at the links below. All Open House materials have also been translated into Spanish to ensure broad accessibility.

As a reminder, LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath commissioned this Study to evaluate both the economic impacts and land use considerations of the Airport site—examining the following scenarios:

• Airport closure and alternative uses.
• Airport remains operational and includes community serving uses such as employment training, education, etc.

The Study is being conducted by the team of aviation and economic experts whom you met at the Open House, working with the support of the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity and in collaboration with the County Chief Executive Office and the Department of Public Works.

The next phase of the Study will focus on evaluating the costs and benefits associated with the land use scenarios presented at the Open House. The Study team is currently compiling stakeholder feedback received to date and completing the economic impact analysis to inform a comprehensive and thorough report that provides options and advises the Board of Supervisors on the future of the airport. We anticipate sharing the Study findings with the Pacoima and Whiteman Airport communities, and with stakeholders more broadly, in Spring 2026.

Thank you again for your participation, your perspectives, and your continued interest in the Whiteman Airport Land Use Study.  If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to  213-924-7666 or info@whplandusestudy.com.

Sincerely,
The Whiteman Airport Land Use Study Team

To Visit the Land Use Study Website for the Details Thus Far   CLICK HERE  

01/10/2026

FAA Guidance re: Approval Permission for Airport Closure / Federal Grant Assurance Program 

As Whiteman Airport currently enjoys the benefit of perpetuity (detailed earlier on these pages) due to LA County's purchase of Real Property included in the Whiteman Airport Master Plan.

Read Detailed FAA Guidance related material CLICK HERE

01/07/2026   Below is a copy of a letter I (James Miller) was asked to share with Whiteman Airport Association Members concerning Requests For Proposals at Van Nuys Airport for development of a specific leasehold which has been divided into two separate lease holds.  The big takeaway is that LAWA is changing the possible use of the land from smaller piston aircraft to larger Part 135 jets.  The implied result would be fewer piston tie downs and increased costs for those who choose to stay.  The result will most likely lead to increased demands on Whiteman Airport for tie downs and hangars and possibly forcing an Aviation training facility out of business.  (Note: This represents yet another business who would consider Whiteman Airport as a base of operations if the County was entertaining long term leases.)

01/07/2026    Whiteman Airport Display Day -Sunday January 11, 2026 from 10:00am to 2:00pm - Signings of Display Paperwork from 10:00am to 1:00pm at Hangar HH09.  Please bring your new blank form with you.  Make sure your N number is in the upper right corner on both sides of the form.

01/07/2026   Whiteman Airport Association Meeting - Tuesday February 3, 2026 at Civil Air Patrol Classroom 1, 12653 Osborne Street, pacoima, CA 91331 - The WAA will meet to discuss upcoming events that are being planned for the airport throughout 2026 and how you can help.  We will also discuss the current status of the report concerning closure of the airport.

12/20/2025   4 STACK DESTRUCTION Pictured from the air.  -  Removal of the Stacks may help cancel any resident pollution, but it creates some real airspace challenges.  The Stacks are part of several "procedures," not to forget to mention, the structure is an easily identifiable VFR landmark.

"I am not sure if the obstacle lights on the intact funnels are operational, but the top of the eastern most funnel.

It is certainly gone. It appears to be the beginning of the very end for the Four Stacks is upon them."   Photo Credit & Comment: Matthew Stone