The cities of Ontario, Culver City and Inglewood, California have joined forces with San Bernardino County to request mediation with city officials in Los Angeles.  The requested mediation concerns a dispute over a report released concerning the environmental effects that will be part of the proposed Los Angeles International Airport expansion.  According to the parties requesting mediation, that report was not sufficient to address the concerns that expansion would raise.  

The report was used to approve expansion of the airport’s northern runway—an expansion that would affect local neighborhoods and businesses.  There are also concerns about the effect the expansion would have on nearby Ontario International Airport, which has already received nearly a 40% decline in passengers over the past six years. 

If the City of Los Angeles doesn’t officially respond to the request for mediation within five days, lawsuits could follow.  However, some experts believe that the move is only part of an attempt by the city of Ontario to regain control of their airport.  According to Janice Rutherford, Chairwoman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, the county has dealt with a longstanding issue of Los Angeles World Airports mismanaging the Ontario airport. “Part of that mismanagement is directing traffic to LAX instead of Ontario,” she said. “That’s a big problem for our region, for our economy and for the neighbors of LAX who don’t want any more traffic.”

Among the cities and counties requesting mediation, an activist group named the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion located in Playa del Rey is also seeking mediation.