Welcome to CAAP (Citizens Against Airport Pollution)

 San Jose Airport Noise Center

The city of San Jose has a new Info line that is a 24/7 fax-The number is 408-277-8500. 
The four digit code for the Airport Acoustical Treatment Program is 1103, 
Airport Noise Monitoring Center is 1106, 
General Information is 1109. 

South Bay residents are encouraged to report intrusive aircraft overflight noise on San Francisco Airport's toll free citizen complaint number. Callers with a complaint should state the time, date, duration. 

The toll free number is 1 (877) 206-8290

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 Live Radar Flight Tracks....

This feature allows you to watch the movement of flights and air traffic patterns currently in use within the Bay Area. This map will show flight tracks of aircraft arriving and departing from SFO, Oakland, and San Jose Airport and other nearby general aviation airports. Red plane icons are arrivals, green are departures, black are General Aviation or small propeller aircraft and helicopters. The white icons are aircraft   transiting the area and bypassing local airports. The icon sizes are uniform regardless of the actual size of the aircraft. 

This  map  shows the cummulative effect of 17 of Santa Clara County's leading 'High Tech' Hazardous Air Pollutants identified by SVTC that are contained in the CEP database and have an EPA Benchmark for cancer. The risk for cancer is much higher than the Clean Air Act goal of 1 in 1
million individuals anywhere in Santa Clara County. The cancer risk ranges from 18 to 876 additional cancer cases - a high of over 800 additional cancer cases per million individuals - resulting from exposure to the subset of High Tech chemicals that SVTC has identified.

Dear Neighbors:

As many of you will recall, Airport staff attempted to sneak a change to the Airport Master Plan on the December 2000 council agenda as a minor amendment. Now, after months of work, they are finally ready to seek approval for the new plan in September, 2001. The revised Master Plan will be presented at two Council study sessions on September 11 & 12 (evenings). Two weeks later the airport staff will return to request the Councils' affirmative vote on three "minor amendments". Most important of these is the removal of building room restriction for the new Terminal -- now specified by ATRA ordinance to be 775,00 sq. ft. at most. This limitation by Council was purposeful, as was the reduction of 49 to 40 gates, in recognition of community desires to limit airport growth.

Your presence and participation are urgently needed for September 11 & 12th and for September 25th. The S.J. Silicon Valley Chamber, the S.J. Downtown Ass'n., S.J. Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Japanese-American Chamber are mobilizing to assault the Council with demands to move right ahead full force. Please plan to attend the public meetings and for those interested in working towards more moderate growth within the current Airport Master Plan Ordinance and the Airport Traffic Relief Ordinance, you are invited to attend:

Citizens Against Airport Pollution steering committee meeting
Tuesday, August 28, 7:30 pm
Janet Gray Hayes home 
1155 Emory Street 
San Jose, CA 95126 

RSVP to Janet Gray: 295-3609 or jghayes7@aol.com so she knows how many to expect 

Lenora Hensley

Neighbors,

Yesterday, Aug 21st, in the Fairmont Hotel's plush and spacious Regency Lounge, the S.J. Silicon Valley Chamber, the S.J. Downtown Ass'n., The S.J. Convention & Visitors Bureau sponsored a fast-paced "Insiders Briefing" by invitation only on the expansion plans of our S.J. International Airport. Co-host was the Japanese-American Chamber. This call to action was very well attended, had elaborate refreshments. The invitation warned that "Well- organized--vocal--opponents are calling for the airport plans to be scrapped!" 

CAAP Chairman Ken Hayes made a "mandatory reservation", although CAAP or no neighborhood groups were alerted. The pitch for action emphasized that airport employment is rising, visitors bring dollars, an attractive airport is essential to ensure pleasurable passenger experiences and S.J. airport must and will accommodate the ever-increasing demand. The ATRA ordinance was depicted as a monster slowing proper Terminal development. Not one word was spoken re quality of life, noise intrusion, deteriorating air quality or neighborhood impacts. The revised Master Plan will be presented at two Council study sessions on September 11 & 12 (evenings). Two weeks later the airport staff will return to request the Councils' affirmative vote on three "minor amendments". Most important of these is the removal of building room restriction for the new Terminal -- now specified by ATRA ordinance to be 775,00 sq. ft. at most. This limitation by Council was purposeful, as was the reduction of 49 to 40 gates, in recognition of community desires to limit airport growth. Your presence and participation are urgently needed for September 11 & 12th and for September 25th. All the above groups plus the unions are mobilizing to assault the Council with demands to move right ahead full force. Please plan to attend the public hearings.

Lenora

ACTION ALERT

Sign-on to oppose a bill that would strip away states rights.

H.R. 2107 will have a major environmental and constitutional impact! This bill, written for the aviation industry, would strip away all state and local environmental standards, all state and local political authority as well as other controls over airport construction, and is designed to allow uncontrolled airport expansion. It would also set a precedent for one industry being able to wholly override all environmental statutes which provide for evaluation of environmental impacts of new development, and would open the door to other harmful issues. This bill has major negative implications for the public health, the environment, aircraft noise and other quality of life issues for over 70% of our nations people.

Excerpts from U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee testimony regarding H.R. 2107:

Illinois Governor George Ryan: I oppose this legislation because it fundamentally changes the historic relationship between the states and the federal government, a relationship that for more than two centuries has been grounded firmly in the Bill of Rights. And that would be disastrous not only for Illinois, but for the entire nation.

Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde: Traffic management that balances demand with existing capacity can eliminate or control the chaos and delay in the short term and should be implemented immediately. A significant problem with H.R. 2107 is that it focuses almost exclusively on expanding existing airports - many of which were first sited and built years ago in what are now highly urbanized locations unsuitable for major capacity expansion to address future capacity needs. Congress should encourage alternatives that put environmentally sound new airport construction and other initiatives on an equal footing with attempts to squeeze more capacity out of existing aging airports in congested urbanized areas. Thus, contrary to the public assertions that this bill would only affect the powers of governors in a few states H.R. 2107 is really an attack on the powers of State Legislatures and Governors in dozens of states where these commercial airports are located.

This bill would strip state and local governments of their power to protect themselves and their constituents, and would place that power in Washington, D.C. and the air transportation industry.

PLEASE STRONGLY OPPOSE THIS HOUSE AND THE SENATE COMPANION BILL NOW: (H.R. 2107 & S. 1290 - End Gridlock at Our Nations Critical Airports Act of 2001), BY SIGNING ON TO THE GOVERNOR, ETC LETTER AND SEND BACK YOUR SIGN-ON REPLY BY SEPTEMBER 1.

To sign on in opposition, please provide your:

• Name:
• State or organization:
• Address:
• Phone, fax, email:

• P.O. Box 1702, Arlington Heights, IL 60006-1702
• Fax: (847) 506-0202 
• Email: info@us-caw.org

  Dr. Kenneth Hayes, M.D.
  Co-Chair
  Physician

  Dr. Walter Bowman, M.D.
  Co-Chair
  Physician

  Robert Harmssen, 
  Co-Vice Chair
  Attorney at Law

  Lenora Porcella, 
  Co-Vice Chair
  Travel Agent

  Lilian Dennis,
  Secretary
  Small Business Owner

  Sharen Dains,
  Treasurer
  Freelance Court Reporter

  Lyle Johnson,
  Santa Clara Advisor
  Attorney at Law

TASKFORCE:

  Lenora Porcella,
  Newsletter Editor
  Travel Agent

   Sandy Bauer,
  Webmistress 

 Opinions to this article from readers

For years, airlines have violated San Jose International Airport's curfew without consequences. City officials have written harshly worded letters and threatened to bring lawsuits, but they have never followed through with anything tougher to enforce the ban on nighttime flights. 

Now, as the curfew controversy reaches a crescendo with an upcoming court ruling in a case involving Oracle chief Larry Ellison, City Councilman Ken Yeager is attempting to force some airlines' hands. 

The first-term council member is blocking what are typically routine contract renewals for two airlines that have not signed a letter pledging compliance with the 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. curfew. Without those contracts, the airlines would be unable to operate in San Jose. 

`I think we need to send a message to the airlines that we're serious,'' said Yeager, who represents the Rose Garden neighborhood near the airport and headed an airport monitoring committee before he was elected last year. ``This is one of the few pressure points we have.'' Yeager's move is the latest attempt by city officials to quell persistent tensions between the airport and thousands of residents in its vicinity who must endure the daily din of engine noise, often when they're trying to sleep. 

One of the airlines with a pending lease agreement for space in the airport, Air Canada, has not had any unexcused violations for more than a year, and a spokesman said it had no problem signing a curfew agreement. Mexicana Airlines, which had eight unexcused breaches in 2000, and 33 excused violations, is trying to schedule a meeting with city officials to discuss the curfew, according to City Attorney Rick Doyle. A local airline representative said he needed to speak with the corporate office before commenting. 

After several weeks of delay at Yeager's request, the council today is scheduled to consider the leases for Air Canada and Mexicana. 

Most haven't signed 

According to Yeager, only four of 13 airlines that received a request from the city in 1998 and 1999 have signed letters agreeing to abide by the curfew. Three of them -- American, Southwest and United -- are among the most frequent curfew offenders, according to airport records. Yeager acknowledged that the letters by themselves won't guarantee compliance. But he said it's important to have the airlines on record in case the city ever takes them to court. ``It's a very useful tool,'' he said. Without lease space in the airport terminal, the airlines could not operate in San Jose. Mexicana, whose lease expires in January, is seeking a five-year extension at $242,000 annually for 1,382 square feet of space. Yeager said he's prepared to block the leases as long as it takes for the airlines to sign a curfew agreement. ``I'm not sure if my colleagues are,'' he said. 

David Vossbrink, a spokesman for Mayor Ron Gonzales, said the city ``will go as far as we can within the law to protect the curfew.'' 

Sound reasons 

The overwhelming number of curfew-time takeoffs and landings occur for valid reasons -- such as mechanical failures, weather conditions, or air traffic control problems -- that are beyond the airport's control. The airport generally has between 60 and 110 flights a month during curfew hours, according to reports. 

But according to Yeager, many of the so-called ``compliant'' violations could be avoided if airlines adjusted their flight schedules. Many of the infractions are flights scheduled to depart or land shortly before or after curfew hours, he said. 

Airport officials, for their part, say curfew violations have declined dramatically in recent years. Comparing the period from October 1998 to September 1999 with October 1999 to September 2000, spokesman Jim Peterson said ``compliant'' violations were down 7 percent, and unexcused violations fell 31 percent. 

In another development, responding to longtime distrust between residents and the airport, Yeager has proposed creating an airport ombudsman who would monitor issues between the airport and neighborhoods. After years of complaints from residents and a study showing an ombudsman was not needed, the airport recently agreed to soundproof homes in the neighborhood south of the airport. 

Yeager suggested that the airport could not be trusted to serve as the neighborhoods' ombudsman. ``I want someone independent of the airport,'' he said. ``It's a credibility issue.'' 

TIP TOE APPROACH, WHY SOUTH BAY SKIES THUNDER WITH ARRIVING PLANES TO SFO DURING STORMS

The Tip Toe Approach was implemented to divert flights away from Palo Alto and Menlo Park, Cities that have noise monitoring devises provided by the SFO.

When the Tip Toe Approach is used

Tip Toe Approach is approved as a full time arrival route, thereby diverting all arriving flights away from North Peninsula Communities and into the South Bay starting the summer of 2002

South Bay communities fight proposal

FAA ignores environmental justice policy

New arrival routes receive approval

How San Mateo County forces air traffic away from their communities

http://www.smcroundtable.com/ 
http://www.uproar.org/

Airport Noise Groups

HOW OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH SCREWED US

http://www.paweekly.com/paw/morgue/news/1999_Jun_30.AIRNOISE.html

SFO . . . . Noise ? What Noise ?

Fat Cats Complain . . . Get Results

Palo Alto Watches Closely

High Rent Neighbors Want In Too !

SFO ... Just How Bad Is It?

SFO ... Well Maybe If We ...

Palo Alto Get's Heard ... How About the Rest of Santa Clara County ?

Los Altos High Rollers Throw FAA Dice 

So How Did They Do It ?

Hey They Won't Know One Plane From Another !

Slip It By Them When Their Backs are Turned

THE JIGS UP ! (or has Gonzales sold out?)

Regional Airport Planning Committee . . . A Very Select Group

How They Work

Them Against Us

Or Is It - Up Yours

Allies... ?

South Bay Gets Screwed, Fat Cats Win 

ARE YOU MAD YET? IF YOU ARE THEN YOU SHOULD:

• Tell your neighbors about this injustice.
• Complain to the SFO citizen's complaint number every time you are disturbed by overflights; 1 (877) 206-8290
• Fight against the future expansion of SFO runways into the bay.
• Complain to government officials