Berman Announces Public Hearing with FAA on Helicopter Noise in L. A. County

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U.S. Rep. Howard Berman today announced that the Federal Aviation Administration agreed to his request to participate in a community-wide public hearing on helicopter noise in Los Angeles County.

The public hearing will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on August 6th at Millikan Middle School Burrill Hall located at 5041 Sunnyslope Avenue in Sherman Oaks off Magnolia Boulevard. Residents are advised to arrive early to ensure as many members of the community as possible can offer comment to the FAA on this matter.

As the FAA determines what regulatory changes are needed to reduce helicopter noise, this public hearing will serve as the lone forum for community input into the FAA report, and Berman is encouraging a strong turnout from the community.

“Residents of the Valley and other parts of Los Angeles will finally have an opportunity to tell the FAA how helicopter noise negatively impacts our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (D-Valley Village). “Our views and input will play a significant role in determining how the FAA addresses this issue. We have shared our frustration about this problem with our friends, neighbors and local elected officials. Now the FAA must hear our voices and implement changes that place the well-being of Valley residents before the interests of a few helicopter operators. We are long overdue to find a commonsense solution to this constant problem.”

Last month, Berman, joined by Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and other Los Angeles-area Members of Congress, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood requesting that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) formally solicit local stakeholder views on solutions to the helicopter noise problem in Los Angeles County. They wrote that a collaborative community effort is an important step in broader efforts to institute rules regarding the flight paths and altitudes of helicopters flying over residential neighborhoods.

The full text of the letter sent to Secretary LaHood is here.

Berman has further raised this issue in personal conversations with Secretary LaHood and the Acting Administrator of the FAA Michael Huerta.

Last year, Berman introduced H.R. 2677, the Los Angeles Helicopter Noise Relief Act, to address the growing safety and noise concerns among Valley residents caused by low-flying helicopters above residential neighborhoods.

    Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center

    1 COMMENT

    1. So sorry that I am out of town, but so glad others will be able to voice our concerns about police helicopter noise in Pasadena! Lorraine Montgomery

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