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Submitted by Vishal Soni
I am writing to express my serious concerns regarding the Livermore Municipal Airport and its increasing impact on our community, particularly the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood.
Increased air traffic and safety concerns
I am deeply concerned about the noticeable increase in air traffic, specifically the low altitude flights over residential areas like Pleasanton Meadows.
These low-flying planes pose a significant risk to the safety of our residents, especially children attending the two elementary schools in the neighborhood. The potential health risks associated with unleaded gas emissions and the low margin for error in case of an incident are alarming.
We cannot forget the recent incident in Livermore where a plane was forced to land on a freeway overpass. LVK does not look like a municipal airport anymore as we are seeing increased frequency of private jets which are very loud.
Livermore’s secrecy and disregard for collaboration
Livermore’s approach to airport development is shrouded in secrecy, lacking transparency and genuine collaboration with neighboring communities. The establishment of a new governing body by Livermore for airport development raises serious concerns about their intentions and their disregard for the input of those most impacted.
The 2010 resolution to establish a liaison committee envisioned a more citizen-centric approach with clear action items, timelines, and to document meeting minutes. Unfortunately, the current meetings seem to lack these crucial elements, essentially rendering them unproductive discussions.
Disregard for resident concerns
Furthermore, numerous noise complaints submitted by Pleasanton residents appear to be falling on deaf ears. These complaints are seemingly filed away with no meaningful action taken to address the concerns of those impacted by the airport’s operations.
Every complaint receives a canned response stating the FAA allows us to fly low over your neighborhood and we will continue doing so.
Public health and resident well-being
Extensive research clearly demonstrates the detrimental effects of airplane noise on human health. Do we, the residents of Pleasanton, deserve to be treated as secondary citizens while the airport operators are seemingly prioritized?
Call to action
I urge the city of Pleasanton to take these concerns seriously before they escalate further and jeopardize the well-being of our residents.
I propose the formation of a committee comprised of concerned citizens to actively discuss airport-related issues and develop actionable solutions to mitigate the aforementioned concerns. This committee should actively engage with Livermore officials to demand transparency, meaningful collaboration, and a genuine response to the concerns of Pleasanton residents.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response and a proactive approach to addressing these critical issues.
Editor’s note: Pleasanton resident Vishal Soni is a software professional and member of the Livermore Airport Citizens Group, a collection of concerned Tri-Valley residents concerned about impacts from airport expansion and noise. He originally submitted this letter to new Pleasanton Mayor Jack Balch, cc’ing the Weekly on the email.
