Airport officials will revise $3.9-million LAX publicity contracts

Los Angeles airport commissioners on Tuesday unanimously decided to withdraw and renegotiate $3.9 million in public relations contracts for LAX that have come under fire from two city councilmen.

Last month, the Board of Airport Commissioners awarded three-year contracts to the Phelps Group in Santa Monica, AdEase Inc. in San Diego and Nothing Films Inc. in Fountain Valley. They were responsible for developing a public education campaign, buying advertising from media outlets and video productions related to the ongoing modernization of Los Angeles International Airport.

Councilman Dennis Zine, a candidate for city controller, and Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes LAX, called for a council  review of the contracts, which were granted without board discussion to companies that were not based in Los Angeles. The council has the power to overturn decisions by city departments.

Zine and Rosendahl questioned the amount of the contracts and the fact that they were given to companies that were not located in Los Angeles.

Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, said the length and amounts of the contracts will be revised before they are resubmitted to the airport commission and the City Council for approval.

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Unclear why pilot lost consciousness during flight from LAX

An Alaska Airlines spokesman said officials do not know what caused one of the carrier's pilots to briefly lose consciousness during a flight Thursday night, forcing an emergency landing.

The pilot lost consciousness during a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Seattle, which was diverted safely to Portland International Airport, airport spokesman Steve Johnson told The Times. Flight 473 landed without incident around 9 p.m., said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Los Angeles.

Paul McElroy, an Alaska Airlines spokesman, told the Oregonian newspaper that the 28-year veteran pilot passed out on the flight deck but soon regained consciousness. He was helped to the main cabin and treated by doctor who was among the passengers.

McElroy told the newspaper that a similar incident occurred on Jan. 22 during a flight from Seattle to Las Vegas, when the first officer lost consciousness.

"We're confident these two cases are unrelated," he said. "Just a really bizarre coincidence."

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Flight from LAX lands in Portland after a pilot passes out

An Alaska Airlines flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Seattle landed in Portland after one of its pilots passed out, officials said.

The pilot lost consciousness during the flight and it was diverted to Portland International Airport, airport spokesman Steve Johnson told The Times.

The flight was identified as number 473 and landed around 9 p.m. without incident, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Los Angeles.

An Alaska Airlines spokesperson could not reached Thursday night for comment.

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Democracy activist arrives home after release by Vietnam

An American democracy activist accused of trying to overthrow the Vietnamese government returned home to Southern California on Wednesday night, more than nine months after he was first detained in Saigon.

U.S. citizen Nguyen Quoc Quan was met by a crowd of about 100 supporters when he walked out of customs at Los Angeles International Airport about 8:15 p.m. They cheered and waved U.S. and Vietnamese flags.

Three generations of family members waited for him at the gate: his mother-in-law, wife and two sons. They embraced in a group hug, tears streaming. The crowd then moved to a corner of the airport lounge, where Nguyen held an impromptu news conference.

He said that for nine months he was held in a cell measuring 9 feet by 9 feet and that a government monitor was assigned to stay in the same space with him. Nguyen said he had no contact with the outside, except for a monthly visit from a member of the U.S. Consulate in Saigon.

While grateful to be free, he said he worried about the dozens of political prisoners left behind. “They are the people I cherish,” he said.

Nguyen was arrested in April and faced subversion charges in connection with his activism with the banned political party and democracy group Viet Tan. Though the United Nations human rights office and other watchdogs say the banned party is a peaceful organization, Vietnam deems it a terrorist group.

The Orange County man had trained other activists in nonviolent resistance and computer skills and recruited people in Vietnam to his cause, according to a translated copy of his indictment.

Nguyen's release was unexpected and comes amid a recent rash of charges against dissidents in Vietnam that have triggered global condemnation and have raised concerns about the country's increased strategic engagement with the United States.

Nguyen said Wednesday night that he thought constantly about his family during the darkest hours of his detainment. He said that he wrote a poem for his wife but that he said his Communist jailers would not deliver it.

His two sons, Khoa and Tri, were at the airport to surprise their father. Khoa, the eldest, is a student at UC Davis and drove down to meet his father’s plane.

“Since my dad was so dedicated to his cause, our belief in him kept us going,” Khoa said. “It feels amazing to have him back. In this, I have to thank my mom for her work bringing attention to his imprisonment. She’s like the rock star and my dad is the co-singer.”

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Photo: Democracy activist Nguyen Quoc Quan is greeted at LAX on Wednesday evening by his wife, Huong Mai Ngo, and other family members and supporters. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

L.A. councilmen question $4 million in LAX public relations contracts

Two Los Angeles City Council members on Wednesday demanded to know why the city’s airport commission approved almost $4 million in contracts for a public relations campaign to highlight the ongoing modernization of Los Angeles International Airport.

Dennis Zine, a candidate for city controller, and Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes LAX, called for a council review of the three contracts, which were awarded without discussion by the Board of Airport Commissioners last week to companies that are not based in Los Angeles. The council has the power to overturn contracts awarded by city departments.

“I don’t feel we should be spending about $4 million on public relations for the airport,” Zine said during a news conference at City Hall. “But if the money is going to be spent, it should go to Los Angeles companies.”

The airport commission awarded three-year contracts totaling about $3.9 million to the Phelps Group of Santa Monica, AdEase Inc. of San Diego and Nothing Films Inc. of Fountain Valley. They will be responsible for developing a public education campaign, buying advertising from media outlets and video productions respectively.

Airport officials say the contracts were awarded using a competitive process that included bids from companies based in Los Angeles. They contend that hiring private firms was necessary because the airport’s media and communications department does not have enough staff or the expertise for the undertaking.

Councilmen question $3.8-million LAX public relations contracts

This post has been corrected and updated, as noted below.

Two Los Angeles council members want to know why a city oversight board approved spending nearly $4 million in taxpayer money for what they describe as public relations contracts at Los Angeles International Airport.

The Board of Airport Commissioners recently awarded three contracts totaling more than $3.8-million for video production services and public education services at LAX, according to Councilmen Dennis Zine and Bill Rosendahl.

They said the contracts were awarded without discussion. 

"Transparency in government and the careful scrutiny of the expenditure of public dollars is critical in ensuring the public's trust," Zine and Rosendahl said in a statement. 

Airport commissioners could not be reached Tuesday night for comment.

The councilmen questioned why the contracts, which were awarded to firms outside the city, could not be done by LAX staff.

Zine, who is running for city controller, and Rosendahl, whose district includes LAX, are planning to hold a news conference Wednesday morning. Afterward, the City Council will vote on asserting its jurisdiction over the matter and sending it to a committee for further discussion. 

[Updated at 9 a.m., Jan. 23: In a statement, Mary Grady, managing director of media and public relations for Los Angeles World Airports, said the multiyear contracts address the board's "firm direction to create and execute a multiyear strategic and coordinated LAX Capital Improvement public education program."

"It is important that we communicate the construction impacts, while also building a sense of anticipation for those who have been demanding an efficient airport that meets today’s travelers’ needs with more modern terminals, improved runway safety, more places to charge phones/laptops, free Wi-Fi, and more dining and shopping options," the statement said.

"While we are building the airport the public is asking for, it will be complicated to navigate LAX over the next several years. Why wouldn’t we tell them all about the more than 25 Capital Improvement projects that are creating tens of thousands of jobs, without using any taxpayer dollars from the city’s general fund?"]

[For the record, 8:50 a.m., Jan. 23: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that there were two contracts awarded for $3.8 million. There were three. The post also incorrectly stated that the press conference would be held on Friday; the press conference is today.]

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Photo: Pylons of LAX in a 2006 shot. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

 

"Communicating the transformative changes taking place at LAX addresses the Board of Airport Commission’s firm direction to create and execute a multi-year strategic and coordinated LAX Capital Improvement public education program.   It is important that we communicate the construction impacts, while also building a sense of anticipation for those who have been demanding an efficient airport that meets today’s travelers’ needs with more modern terminals, improved runway safety, more places to charge phones/laptops, free Wi-Fi, and more dining and shopping options.  While we are building the airport the public is asking for, it will be complicated to navigate LAX over the next several years.  Why wouldn’t we tell them all about the more than 25 Capital Improvement projects that are creating tens of thousands of jobs, without using any taxpayer dollars from the City’s general fund?

Police respond to Chris Brown's home in 'swatting' prank

Officers were called to the home of Chris Brown in a report that turned out to be false, the latest in a series of so-called swatting incidents targeting celebrity homes, police said Monday night.

Police were contacted shortly before 5 p.m. Monday and told of a domestic violence situation at the home. The caller told police he wasn't sure if his mother had been shot, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

But when officers arrived, members of Brown's staff were at the home but Brown was not, according to police. His parents arrived after police officers had arrived and searched the home.

The incident was the latest in a string of recent "swatting" incidents involving Tom Cruise, Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher.  

The incidents, a fast-growing phenomenon, are started by anonymous mischief-makers who alert police to a bogus crime, prompting a tactical response — sometimes by SWAT officers — that involves a high-risk search for phantom assailants.

A 12-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the reports involving Bieber and Kutcher.

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Photo: Chris Brown and Rihanna in December at a Lakers and Knicks game at Staples Center. Credit Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Fire and smoke near LAX is no emergency, officials say

A controlled burn-off at a Chevron refinery is responsible for the fire and smoke residents saw Sunday evening near Los Angeles International Airport, and there is no emergency, fire officials said.  

Los Angeles County fire officials said they received calls from worried residents who saw what they thought was a fire coming from a refinery near the corner of Aviation Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue. Dispatch Supervisor Art Marrujo said units were dispatched to the refinery about 5:51 p.m. and left about 12 minutes later after refinery operators told them they were conducting a “flare off.”

Marrujo said refineries shoot large flames into the air about once a month to burn off excess gas and pressure.

“Everyone thinks the building is on fire, but it’s not,” he said.  

On the Los Angeles Fire Department’s news blog, spokesman Erik Scott summed it up: “Large amount of smoke/fire near LAX is due to Chevron refinery burn-off,” he wrote. “No emergency, no LAFD
involvement.”

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Map: Approximate location of fire and smoke shown in black. Credit: Los Angeles Times Mapping L.A.

Plan ordered to save mechanics school at Van Nuys Airport

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday ordered local officials to develop a detailed plan to save a popular aircraft mechanics school at Van Nuys Airport.

On a motion by Eric Garcetti, the council called on Los Angeles World Airports, the airport's operator, to find ways to preserve the North Valley Occupational Center-Aviation Center, which has trained thousands of mechanics during its 40-year history.

The school, which is run by the Los Angeles Unified School District, is located off Hayvenhurst Avenue in a hangar with adjoining classrooms and workshops. Budget problems at the district are threatening to close the school or force its relocation to smaller facilities elsewhere.

The action directs the city's airport department to consider reducing or eliminating the rent for the facility and identify additional resources the school district might need to keep the school open at Van Nuys, one of the busiest general aviation facilities in the nation. Los Angeles World Airports must report back to the council in 30 days.

LAX neighbors question north runway separation plan

Neighbors of Los Angeles International Airport turned out in force at a public hearing Tuesday night to protest plans to separate the two northern runways by 260 feet for safety and efficiency reasons.

Scores of residents from Westchester and Playa del Rey said the new runways, if built, would increase noise, air pollution and traffic congestion in nearby neighborhoods, further degrading a quality of life that is already heavily impacted by airport operations.

They also asserted the project would have little, if any, effect on runway safety or the efficiency of handling the largest commercial airliners now going into service, such as the giant Airbus A380.

The critics noted the plummeting sales of the A380 as an indication that the runway shift is no longer needed and cited a 2010 NASA study that concluded the northern runways are already very safe.

"This is a policy issue, not a NIMBY issue," said Robert Ackerman of the Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion, who noted that other alternatives under study would avoid moving the northernmost runway closer to homes.

The Los Angeles planning department held the hearing at the Proud Bird Restaurant near LAX to take public comments about the runway project, which has been recommended by airport staff over other options for further environmental review.