The Brief

This article was supported by a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

When Jarret Palmer moved to the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles four years ago, he thought he had found his dream home. But now, he’s regretting that decision.

The roar of planes from nearby Van Nuys Airport is relentless, he said, adding that he fears the pollution from one of the nation’s busiest general aviation hubs is harming his family. Three years ago, his daughter was born underweight and spent days in the neonatal intensive care unit, he said.

“It kind of makes you … wonder, … was I so determined to find a house for my child?” said Palmer, who has a 2-year-old child. He added, “Did I make the mistake of … not looking into the environment enough? … There’s definitely, like, a little bit of guilt there,” said Palmer, who also has a 2-year-old son.

Palmer is not the only resident concerned about the dangers of living near Van Nuys Airport, a major revenue generator for the city and a frequent launch point for private jets used by celebrities including Elon Musk, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Jennifer Lopez.

In a Capital & Main survey of 80 residents who live in the airport-adjacent neighborhoods of Lake Balboa and Van Nuys, 65% of respondents said they attributed a health condition to noise and air pollution from VNY, the airport’s call letters. Nearly half of respondents said they had consulted a medical professional for what they suspected were airport-related health problems since 2020. The survey is not a representative sample, but it is an indication of anxiety among residents living near the airport. Despite their health concerns and activism at public meetings, residents said local officials have largely ignored their pleas for years.

Jarret Palmer sits in his home near the Van Nuys Airport.

(

Jeremy Lindenfeld

/

Capital & Main

)

“I’m sending letters and comments [to the Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council] and all that, but they don’t get it,” said Danielle Sweet, a 30-year resident of Lake Balboa. The citizen panel offers feedback to airport officials. But Sweet, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said the officials have done little to address her concerns. The disease can be caused by long-term exposure to chemicals and by tobacco use. Sweet said she is not a smoker.

“They [airport officials] don’t really care about us. They’re still making money, and it’s almost like they don’t care what they have to do to do that,” Sweet said.

Newly appointed airport manager Jacob Haik, whom some residents credit with improving the airport’s communication with its neighbors, said he is committed to ensuring that Van Nuys Airport “remains a good neighbor, while continuing to serve as a vital economic engine for the region.” Last fall, Haik told Capital & Main, “We’ve been working on all kinds of different sustainability, compliance and noise reduction plans.”

Los Angeles City Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who represents Van Nuys and Lake Balboa, said in a statement: “I remain committed to working with Los Angeles World Airports and City departments to center residents’ voices and strengthen environmental safeguards.” Padilla also pointed to the city’s efforts to update its land use plan for the airport, a process she initiated “to ensure future airport developments prioritizes community well-being,” she said in the statement.

Most health concerns reported by residents to Capital & Main were respiratory in nature, but dozens also said they linked other health problems to the airport, including skin conditions, cardiovascular problems and cancer.

Jeremy Fenske, a Lake Balboa resident of four years, said he copes with the constant smell of jet fuel in the air by keeping his windows closed at all times and having air purifiers in every room. A father of small children, he said the air quality has gotten worse since his family moved into the neighborhood. He said on one occasion his toddler son had an asthma attack that required a trip to urgent care for albuterol.

“There are flights going on at 2 a.m. or later here, and that’s the least annoying thing about the airport — it’s just the smell,” Fenske said. “It smells like raw jet fuel blowing into our neighborhood. We can’t even have parties at the house, we feel embarrassed about it.”

Fenske said that he plans to move his family out of the home this year.

Audrey Anderson, a Van Nuys resident of 14 years, said that despite being a nonsmoker, she suffers from an annoying cough and eye irritation when she is home. Those symptoms disappear when she is away at work.

Capital & Main conducted its digital survey of residents in Van Nuys and Lake Balboa last summer and fall. Reporters also canvassed door-to-door in Lake Balboa, a neighborhood of more than 26,000 residents. Van Nuys is home to more than 162,000 people.

It is difficult to draw a direct line between a particular illness and pollution at the airport, said Ed Avol, a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. But he added that the airport’s neighbors are understandably concerned. “I think those [concerns] are valid and should be looked at,” added Avol, who is an expert in respiratory health and air pollution.

Danielle Sweet in her Lake Balboa home.

(

Jeremy Lindenfeld

/

Capital & Main

)

A 2016 study found that those who live near the 12 largest airports in California suffered from higher rates of respiratory and heart disease and visited emergency rooms at higher rates. A 2021 study linked increased brain cancer risk to exposure to airport-related ultrafine particles near Los Angeles International Airport, which is also operated by Los Angeles World Airports.

Children born in hospitals near Van Nuys Airport have a higher-than-average rate of low birth weights, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The children who live in Lake Balboa, the community immediately west of Van Nuys Airport, are in the 90th percentile of lead exposure statewide, Cal EPA reported.

Van Nuys Airport ranks as the second-largest producer of lead emissions among airports statewide, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2017 National Emissions Inventory. Children under the age of 6 are especially vulnerable to lead exposure, which can slow their development and contribute to learning, behavior and speech problems.

But Van Nuys Airport is also an economic powerhouse for the city, generating more than $2 billion in business revenues annually and more than 10,000 jobs for the local economy. L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, whose district includes parts of Van Nuys, Encino and Sherman Oaks, described the community members’ battles with the airport as a “David versus Goliath situation.”

“The economic impacts and benefits of these airports for this region are really enormous, and a lot of the time, for people in leadership, that outweighs considerations of the impacts that they’re having on local communities,” Raman said.

The challenge of addressing the effect of the airport on the surrounding community became clear last year when a Los Angeles City Council committee voted to block the construction of a new hangar at Van Nuys Airport in response to residents’ concerns, only to later reverse its decision. The initial vote was met with stiff opposition from the aviation industry, as well as from federal regulators, who threatened to withhold grant funding. Mayor Karen Bass ultimately argued that rejecting the lease would result in the loss of hundreds of millions in federal dollars, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Raman joined the majority in voting to both approve the lease and to settle a lawsuit filed against the city by Bonseph Helinet LLC, the helicopter joint venture that had proposed the new hangar at the airport.

Palmer views a plane above his Van Nuys home.

(

Jeremy Lindenfeld

/

Capital & Main

)

Van Nuys Airport’s economic importance is not the only challenge for residents. City and federal agencies share oversight authority over the airport, but none wields absolute control over its operations. In some cases, gaps in oversight exist.

For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency establishes air quality standards nationwide under the Clean Air Act, but neither of the local agencies charged with enforcing these standards — the California Air Resources Board or the South Coast Air Quality Management District — have jurisdiction over aircraft emissions.

“They don’t have the authority to tell a particular airport that you need to shut down because your emissions are too high or that you cannot operate because you don’t meet our emission standards, because those airports are outside their jurisdiction,” said Yifang Zhu, a professor in the University of California, Los Angeles’ Department of Health Sciences who researches air pollution and climate change. “Those emission sources are under EPA’s purview but their hands are tied because this is also FAA-involved.”

The Federal Aviation Administration provides millions of dollars in grant funds for improvements at airports across the country, including Van Nuys Airport.

That said, it is not impossible for city officials to push back against polluting airports. After a decades of local protest and litigation, city and federal regulators agreed to close the Santa Monica Airport in 2028.

“If someone really wants to work on it, there are ways to do it,” Zhu said. “It’s just that you have to see it as a priority. And I don’t think they [governmental bodies] are seeing it as a priority at this point.”

Frustrated advocacy groups have turned to the courts, successfully suing companies at Van Nuys and other airports that provide fueling and maintenance for private planes that use leaded fuel.

In 2014, companies at 23 California airports settled with the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health over alleged violations of Proposition 65, which mandated warnings for carcinogen exposure. The settlement also required the companies to switch to unleaded fuel once an alternative was available. Late last year, the center filed a motion in Alameda County Superior Court alleging that the companies had not complied with the agreement.

Meanwhile, the volume of air traffic at Van Nuys continues to trend upward. Between 2012 and 2022, the airport averaged more than 249,000 takeoffs and landings annually, according to Los Angeles World Airports. Former Van Nuys Airport manager Paul Herrera told Aviation Week in April 2024 that the number of such operations had reached nearly 328,000.

“It sounds like they’re dive-bombing us,” said Kern Konwiser, a Van Nuys resident of nine years. “It’s certainly a heightened anxiety and persistent level of stress.”

Vani Sanganeria contributed to the reporting of this article.

All photos by Jeremy Lindenfeld.

Copyright 2025 Capital & Main.

Lifesize cutouts of Deputy Ringo Starr next to the defunct bathroom, Freddy Krueger standing over the entrance, delicate china guarded by the Incredible Hulk‚ and 150 tons of books and magazines.

It is moving day at Planet Books, the 4,000-square-foot warehouse of used tomes, toys, life-size posters and delicate antiquities, and all of it must leave.

Store owner James Rappaport and manager Argyl Houser have spent the first half of the month packing, consolidating and bidding goodbye to the warehouse they have worked in since 2020. They must have it all out by the end of the month.

Around them, boxes line the narrow aisles, taped tight and labeled by genre. Some glass cases are emptied of their knick-knacks, some walls naked of their posters. Public radio, KJazz 88.1, remains on as usual, though Rappaport said the queue has been nonstop rock and blues.

“We had like three solid days of Eric Clapton,” he said with a smile.

It’s a swift change from months ago, when the two were told they needed to vacate by the end of April, risking either closure or confining their goods to storage as they struggled to find a new home.

“I couldn’t find anything within a thirty-mile radius that was under two dollars [per square foot],” Rappaport said.

Approaching the store’s 30th anniversary, the two are set to celebrate in a new location, a former furniture store turned sound studio at 1819 Redondo Ave. — the second time the bookstore has moved since it opened in 1998.

The new place is larger — by about 600 square feet — and twice the cost to rent. It’ll also be a year-long sublease before they can lease it on their own. But it’s a needed move, one that offers the opportunity to organize, consolidate and rebuild their vision of a bookstore that the two have talked about for years but never had the momentum to act on.

“It’s a huge amount of work, but it’s also an opportunity to make the store just the way we wanted … an opportunity to really make the store shine,” Houser said.

The two plan to downsize a tenth of their stock through donations to nearby schools, shelters and prisons. They’re giving away half of their hardcover mysteries, at least half of their small paperbacks and looking to downsize their knick-knacks. Rappaport is also selling his treasured vinyl collection.

“It’s been in the back for years, and I’ve finally decided I’ve got to start selling my things, getting too old to save everything,” Rappaport said.

The new store, they envision, will have art books in the front; specialty vintage will rest in the back left and leatherbound classics will have the windowed area to the right. Their rarest tomes, currently spread across five locations in the store, will be consolidated and put in a glass display.

They want better seating and wider aisles, envisioning a trendy establishment where customers can sit at tables and couches and sip cappuccinos or listen to live music — preferably jazz or blues — and enjoy poetry readings or book signings.

It’s a bittersweet move and a goodbye to a long chapter of the bookstore’s history. But with change comes the relief of certainty, a fresh start and finally, two new toilets that actually work.

Tucked away in Bixby Knolls, a neighborhood in Long Beach, you’ll find the iconic parks service sign, a trail and native plants.

The fact that the trail takes 15 seconds to walk and you can also find fairies and bigfoot’s footprint gives a clue to what this 0.05 acre park actually is — an injection of whimsy, if technically fake.

The bridge hovers about an inch off the ground.

(

Cato Hernández

/

LAist

)

The "woowoo" bear at Bixby Knolls National Park on April 6.

(

Cato Hernández

/

LAist

)

Why the ‘national’ park started

I was given a guided tour by Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, who’s the mastermind behind this make-believe spot.

He said the National Park Service hasn’t reached out about their tongue-in-cheek name, but it’s a tribute to them that takes inspiration from Portland.

Shhhh, don't disturb the fairies

(

Cato Hernandez

/

LAist

)

“Somebody in their backyard had a tiny little sign and they made it their own little national park,” Cohn recalled. “We said, OK, well let’s take it up.”

The origin of the park started before it opened in 2021. Businesses were struggling because of the pandemic. The association cut programs and was doing what it could to help local shops. But it was facing an uncertain future.

Planning for the worst, Cohn said they wanted to go out with a bang, so they looked at landscaping they could do to help people get back outside. They picked an abandoned lot at Roosevelt Road and Long Beach Boulevard, right near a business corridor.

“ We said we’ll do one last thing for the neighborhood and let’s create something fun in this corner,” he said.

They got the city on board and some funding. But they wanted to do it in a fun and cheeky way, which is when they came up with the tiny, fake National Park idea.

Cohn said the comical take is about giving people a welcome distraction.

From left to right: Rusty B. and Blair Cohn explain what creatures are in the Bixby Knolls park on April 6.

(

Cato Hernández

/

LAist

)

“ There’s so much bad news,” he said. “But our combat daily is to do things like this, always sprinkle in a little bit of sarcasm, a little bit of BS into the mix because we all could use a laugh and be lighthearted.”

The association maintains the park now, keeping it clean and ready for visitors.

The tiny but mighty sights

During my visit, there was an unexpected visitor: The officially-unofficial park ranger of Bixby Knolls “National” Park, Rusty B. (He said the “B” is because he’s “ like a bear with no ears.”)

As with all the foolery here, he’s not a real park ranger but played the role quite well with an Australian accent (crikey!). Rusty gave me a tour of all the sites you can see in the tiny park, which include Matilija poppies and other native plants.

He pointed out how the park’s largest inhabitants, a wolf and “ woowoo” bear, sit still to hunt for prey. These totally aren’t statues (wink, wink). We also crossed a bridge over a “raging river” of dry gravel.

Near the park’s mountain range mural, you’ll catch some other surprises. “ We’ve got some mushrooms and we’ve got a couple of leprechauns hanging out there,” Rusty said. “It’s completely native.”

 And watch out as you walk. A fake trap is on the ground that’s there to capture big rodents that come from Anaheim, according to Rusty. Bigfoot’s footprints are also immortalized on the grounds, who was supposedly spotted in the neighborhood around 1918.

Donut Rock, aka Angel Food Donuts, is directly across the street from Bixby Knolls "National" Park.

(

Cato Hernández

/

LAist

)

Before you leave, make sure to pay a visit to the other places of interest around this tiny spot.

Donut Rock (aka Angel Food Donuts across the street) sells “Bixby Bear Claws” and donut rocks (donut holes). There’s also the big blue “Finger Pointe” within eye-shot of the park, which is where they get their  printing done, and the Bixby Knolls “National” Park shuttle (aka a standard bus stop wrapped in wood covering).

You could explore this area for a while and likely find something new each time, like a light pole giraffe or moose head, but don’t worry about getting lost. The park has a map sign with information about all of the tiniest “national” park’s best features.

On the steep, brush-covered slopes of the Arroyo Seco, home to the Rose Bowl, a new kind of wildfire defense has arrived — on cloven hooves.

Starting this morning, more than 600 goats are being deployed across roughly 100 acres to help kick off Earth Day celebrations in the city.

Over the next six to eight weeks, they’ll reduce fire risk by munching through invasive vegetation like mustard that can quickly turn into dangerous fuel.

The pilot program, led by One Arroyo Foundation with city backing, combines an ancient technique with urgency around climate change, which the Eaton Fire that devastated parts of Pasadena bordering Altadena has only heightened.

“It’s become more evident that we need to do everything that we can to make sure that we’re adding wildfire resiliency to the way we manage this place,” said Daniel Rossman, executive director of the foundation.

The Arroyo sits within a high-severity fire zone, according to state maps, and acts as a natural corridor for wind, meaning a fire could spread rapidly if conditions align, Rossman said.

The G.O.A.T.'s

Pasadena is the latest Southern California city where goats are eating the fuel load, joining Arcadia, Glendale and Santa Clarita.

Unlike traditional brush clearance methods, which often rely on gas-powered equipment, goats offer a low-emissions alternative.

“You don’t need fossil fuels to run goats,” Rossman said. “They run on their own fuel, which is the brush that they eat.”

The grazers also shine where humans and machinery struggle on the Arroyo’s steep, uneven terrain.

“The goats can go to places that are very difficult for humans to get to with heavy equipment,” Rossman said. “Also, as they go up those hills, they're not degrading them as an adult [human] would by stepping on them with just two feet.”

Other cities like Arcadia have also hired goats to graze on fuel loads.

(

City of Arcadia, CA

/

City of Arcadia, CA

)

While on assignment, the animals owned by Capra Environmental Services, Corp., will graze day and night in the Arroyo, watched over by a herding dog and a herder who will live in a trailer on-site.

“The goats do not have a strong labor union,” Rossman said, tongue firmly in cheek. “They work 24 hours a day. But on the other hand, they take naps whenever they feel like it.”

One Arroyo is covering the roughly $85,000 cost and has launched a “Goat Fund Me” campaign to invite public support. The nonprofit will be posting about the goats' whereabouts on its Instagram so locals can come watch the animals at work.

Just be aware that there will be temporary electric fencing set up to keep the goats from wandering into nearby homes and businesses. And don’t try to pet the goats.

“These goats are generally grumpy,” Rossman said. The animals that can stand humans will be at a petting zoo in Saturday’s Earth Day event by the Rose Bowl's Aquatic Center.

A test run

The hope is that the goat grazers will demonstrate success so that city officials may adopt the effort long-term.

How to know if it’s working?

Rossman said the first test is to see how well goats clear the invasive species and make room for the native plants.

“We want to get to that sweet spot where they chew things down and that then allows these perennial natives that stay green year-round to come back and compete,” Rossman said.

The timing of the goat deployment close to the last of the winter rains was intentional. Rossman said rain spurs rapid plant growth, especially invasive species that then dry out and turn into “flash fuels” by summer.

Removing that growth before peak fire season, he said, is key to protecting an “environmental treasure” that even more locals have turned to since the Eaton Fire.

“Many people who maybe used to hike Eaton Canyon are coming to the Arroyo and enjoying this place to connect with nature and to connect with themselves and restore,” Rossman said.