Jet Noise Commission - DISSOLVED

IMPORTANT NOTICE: On October 3, 2023, the City Council approved the adoption of Ordinance No. 4168 to dissolve the Jet Noise Commission and any outstanding projects led by the Commission will be diverted to City staff and/or the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. The dissolution will be effective as of 11/3/2023.

To learn more, please review the City Council Staff Report.

The Jet Noise Commission

The Huntington Beach Jet Noise Commission (JNC) acts in an advisory capacity to the City Council in matters related to commercial air traffic, including jet noise from commercial aviation traffic: a. to study, interpret, and report to City Council on commercial aviation activities related to the City and perform other functions as directed by the City Council (HBMC 2.104). Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Huntington Beach’s efforts to protect our quality of life by limiting community noise impacts associated with jets.

The JNC’s Goals

The Commission’s goals are the following:

Reduce the noise impacts from arrivals to LGB
Reduce the noise impacts from arrivals to JWA
Work collaboratively with willing partners, such as the FAA, the airports, and the air carriers, to maintain airport noise-based restrictions while minimizing overflight noise wherever safe and feasible.
Help work with and educate our community as to the resources that can be used to make our concerns known and to improve our outcomes.
Be the sounding board for the community regarding All Things Jet Noise.

History

There has been air traffic over the Huntington Beach community for decades, due to the City's proximity to three major airports (LAX, John Wayne, and Long Beach). However, in the spring of 2017, the level of community complaints began to grow, and it became clear that a significant change in air traffic patterns had occurred.

Many of us concluded it was NextGen, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) effort to improve safety and efficiency in the skies, as well as to address long-term capacity needs (according to the FAA). Reduced fuel consumption and reduced aircraft exhaust emissions may result as well if glide slopes are designed properly. By clicking on the links, you can read more about NextGen and its local version (the Southern California Metroplex).

Southern California Metroplex is the FAA’s implementation of NextGen in the Southern California region and includes over 20 major airports - John Wayne, LAX, and Long Beach airports among them. The FAA's stated goal with NextGen and Metroplex is to create more repeatable and predictable flight paths, both vertically and laterally. NextGen used technology in the cockpit and on the ground to narrow arrival and departure corridors so that flight corridors were more predictable (and therefore more safe). But it also meant in some of our residential areas the number of flights, the flight paths, and the noise impacts intensified.

Most NextGen/Metroplex arrival procedures for Long Beach Airport began on November 10, 2016, and for JWA in March 2017. When our residents started noticing more noise under the new, more predictable arrival paths to LGB, the Huntington Beach City Council initiated an Air Traffic Noise Working Group – (ATNWG) – in January of 2018 and set out a series of objectives.

The group was formed by seeking out community volunteers with an interest in the fields of aviation, engineering, government relations, and noise who could bring differing and unique insights to the Group. The Group included Council Members Patrick Brenden and Barbara Delgleize, a dozen Huntington Beach residents, and other City staff members who all began working on better understanding our options and alternatives regarding the changed flight patterns and increased noise from aircraft.

As the Air Traffic Noise Working Group began meeting, the first items of business were to:

Define the problem
Identify which contributing factors could be considered, and to
Determine potential paths to addressing the problem identified.

After several months of investigation, the ATNWG held a Community Workshop in May 2018 and presented their findings to over 200 residents and other concerned individuals. The ATNWG determined that the problem would require a long-term approach including collaboration with the airports, airlines, and the FAA. As a result of that, the ATNWG proposed to City Council in August of 2018 that the City establish a permanent jet noise commission to continue the efforts to remediate the jet noise issues imposed on the City by NextGen.

The City Council voted unanimously to create the Jet Noise Commission on November 19, 2018. The Jet Noise Commission had its first meeting on Monday, February 25, 2019 at Central Library located at 7111 Talbert Ave Huntington Beach. The Jet Noise Commission meets regularly on the 4th Monday of the month at 5:00 pm in the Lower Level of City Hall. To find JNC agendas and minutes, click here.

What We’ve Done

To achieve the goals, the Commission has:

Provided a monthly sounding board for the community about jet noise, and about steps being taken to achieve the Commission’s goals.
Revamped and improved this web page, to help provide a history of the issue.
Met with officials from Long Beach Airport to determine what’s possible in terms of reducing arrival-based noise by possibly increasing altitudes, and decreasing engine thrust/noise along the new NextGen arrival corridors for LGB
Worked with the HB City Council to approve a contract with aviation consultant Landrum and Brown, who will complete a Glide Slope Analysis (including noise measurement) to attempt to raise altitudes along the new NextGen arrival corridors for LGB.
Joined with our neighboring cities in commenting on the General Aviation Implementation Plan (GAIP) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for JWA, with the goal of ensuring that the GAIP does not increase noise over Huntington Beach.
Assigned Commission members with specific expertise to monitor various noise-related issues, such as Data & Statistics, Litigation & Legislation, Engagement & Communication
Reviewed recent Federal legislation in regard to noise around airports, including H.R. 976, H.R.3001
Worked with the HB City Council to have the City take a support position on H.R.976

Jet Noise Brochure

The Jet Noise Commission has created an easy-to-read brochure that explains its mission and provides background information on the jet noise issues impacting our community. A digital copy is available at the link below, and hard copies are available at City Hall: Jet Noise Commission Brochure

Jet Noise Reports

The Jet Noise Commission has prepared monthly reports to track jet noise, beginning July 2020 and through the airline industry's eventual return to pre-COVID-19 air traffic levels. These reports will allow the City to gauge the intensity of jet noise and provide industry regulators with more information to aid their policy decisions.

		2023 July Report
2023 May Report	2023 April Report	2023 February Report
2023 January Report	2022 October Report	2022 September Report
2022 July Report	2022 May Report	2022 March Report
2022 February Report	2022 January Report	2021 December Report
2021 November Report	2021 August Report	2021 July Report
2021 May Report	2021 April Report	2021 March Report
2020 Annual Report	2020 November Report	2020 October Report
2020 August Report	2020 July Report

Jet Noise Commission Members

	Appointment Date	Re-Appointed	Term Ends
David Porter, Chair	2/4/2019	7/19/2022	12/31/2026
Phil Burtis, Vice Chair	2/4/2019	7/19/2022	12/31/2024
Keith Bohr, Commissioner	2/4/2019	7/19/2022	12/31/2026
Michael Bourgeault, Commissioner	2/4/2019	7/19/2022	12/31/2024
Chris Kunze, Commissioner	2/4/2019	7/19/2022	12/31/2026
Jeff Morin, Commissioner	2/4/2019	7/19/2022	12/31/2026
Mario Tabernig, Commissioner	2/4/2019	7/19/2022	12/31/2024

City Council Liaisons

Tony Strickland, Mayor
Casey McKeon, Council Member

Staff Liaisons

Shannon Levin, Council Policy Analyst, 714-536-5237
Sandie Frakes, Administrative Assistant, 714-536-5249

Meeting Times and Dates

The Jet Noise Commission holds regular monthly meetings, generally on the fourth Tuesday at 5:00 PM in B-7 of the lower level of City Hall or via Zoom. Please refer to the meeting notices and agendas accessible below.

JNC Meeting Agendas & Minutes

Jet Noise FAQs

Jet Noise Frequently Asked Questions

To Report Noise:

For LGB - Noise Complaint Hotline (562) 570-2665 or Email: [email protected]

For JWA - Access and Noise Office (949) 252-5185

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 24-hour Noise Complaint Hotline (202) 267-3521 or Email: [email protected]

To report low-flying aircraft or unsafe maneuvers of aircraft in flight, please contact the Long Beach FSDO:

Long Beach Flight Standards District Office (FSDO)

5001 Airport Plaza Drive Ste.100
Long Beach CA 90815
Phone: (562) 377-5400

To learn more about each airport's noise monitoring systems, particular arrival/departure flights, and making noise complaints as well, you can access Long Beach Airport-related flights at https://webtrak.emsbk.com/lgb3.