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Federal bill pushes Banning Municipal Airport closer to closure By City News Service
of which was constructed in 1940, offers an eastwest runway for fixed-wing aircraft, as well as spots for helicopters to land. Along with private civil air traffic, Cal Fire tankers and choppers utilize the airport. The Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association is among opponents of legislative moves to shutter the airport, pointing to its importance as a training resource for aviators, a transportation hub for people flying into the area for recreation or business and other opportunities. “Airports can present valuable economic revenue streams if local governments are creative and give them the freedom to take advantage of their many positive attributes,” AOPA Western Pacific Regional Manager Jared Yoshiki said last year. “Hangar leases and fuel taxes
UC unionized workers authorize strike over protests By City News Service
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A plane sits on the runway at Banning Municipal Airport. | Photo courtesy of Friends of Banning Airport/Facebook
in a statement. “Unfortunately, the airport lacks the necessary infrastructure and demand to remain viable and has become a financial drain on the city. “The land that will become available with the closure will unlock significant economic potential for the city, paving the way for transformative development and job creation in our region,” Sanchez said. Banning Chamber of Commerce President Robert Sibole said in a statement that the goal is “re-purposing the airport land” for possible “commercial and industrial development.” Morongo Band of Mission Indians Vice Chairman James Silva acknowledged the tribe’s support for closure, also citing “new economic development opportunities” as a motivator. The field, the first part
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nionized graduate students who work at University of California campuses and graduate student workers at the University of Southern California are threatening Thursday to walk off their jobs in response to escalating tensions surrounding pro-Palestinian protests at schools. The unionized members who work at UC campuses, including UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC San Diego, voted to authorize leadership to call a strike on Wednesday. Teaching and research assistants who are also graduate students at the universities are members of the union. Graduate students who work in similar capacities at USC filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees labor matters involving private-sector employers in response to treatment of protesters on campus. United Auto Workers Local 4811 represents thousands of UC graduate student workers and reported that 79% of the union members approved the strike authorization. UAW Local 4811 is asking the UC schools to give amnesty to all academic employees and students who face arrest or disciplinary actions for protesting. The union wants the students to have guarantees of freedom of speech and political expression on campus and is asking for researchers to be able to opt out of funding sources tied to the Israeli Defense Force. In a statement released before the vote, officials at the University of California Office of the President said the
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he closure of Banning Municipal Airport may be inevitable, following approval of provisions contained in an aviation bill that spell out criteria for shutting down the nearly century-old airfield. According to Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Indio, a bill he introduced which establishes procedures for deactivating the airport was incorporated into the 2024 Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act passed this month by the House of Representatives and Senate. Ruiz said the city of Banning has been seeking to shutter the only airport in the San Gorgonio Pass for a decade because it has been a fiscal burden, siphoning $170,000 annually out of the local budget for upkeep. “This bipartisan bill represents a turning point ... that has the potential to create jobs and bring hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development to the city,” Ruiz said in a statement. The section of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act connected to the airport does not provide a specific sunset date for operations, but instead appropriates money to fund a study to gauge current demand for the airfield, how closure might impact Cal Fire firefighting operations and the potential federal cost of rehabilitating the field’s aging infrastructure in the next decade. If the FAA finds no barriers to closure based on the study, a shutdown date may be declared. “The closure of Banning Municipal Airport is a crucial step forward for our city’s economic growth and community well-being,” Mayor Alberto Sanchez said
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are just a couple of ways the airport can be financially self-sustaining and alleviate some of the financial pressure on city budgets.” Yoshiki said the city has only provided bare minimum funding to support the airfield, which has been part of Riverside County for more than two-thirds of the time since the county incorporated in 1893 Municipalities have pushed for airport closures based on “redevelopment” objectives throughout California and elsewhere. The legendary Santa Monica Municipal Airport is slated for closure on Dec. 31, 2028. “The common factor we have observed is the lack of appreciation for the immense value an airport brings to the local community by the city and county governments that control these airports,” Yoshiki said.
See UC strike Page 28
Deadline for historic preservation tax relief approaches in Riverside By Staff
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he May 31 application deadline is approaching for a program to help owners of historic real estate in the city of Riverside with property tax relief for restoration and maintenance, officials announced Wednesday. The state law known as the Mills Act allows the owner of a historic parcel to receive property tax relief to help pay for restoration and maintenance. The property owner must agree to reinvest the tax savings in the property. Landowners who participate in the Mills Act program may get significant property tax savings, generally between 20% and 60% annually. Where an individual property may sit in that broad range of tax relief depends on the “property attributes and the current property tax valuation,” according to a city of Riverside statement. The contract terms require stakeholders to apply the tax savings specifically to rehabilitating their historic properties. See Historic real estate tax Page 28