The Brief

LAX is the butt of many jokes around Southern California.

People often dislike driving there because of the intense traffic and time it takes. Still, it’s an important part of Los Angeles life if you want to fly.

But what if air travel here had turned out differently? Back in the late ‘60s, eye-popping plans emerged to reshape flight in the U.S., along with a dream to create a sort of LAX extension — on an island.

The supersonic age

The aviation industry was looking into high-speed passenger flight in the 1950s — and it was a technological race the U.S. wanted to win.

Commercial supersonic travel was in early development around the world. Countries were trying to build new aircraft that could fly passengers across long distances faster than the speed of sound.

But the U.S. was losing ground to the Soviets, who were further ahead in development. That’s largely why in 1963, federal aviation officials created the supersonic transport program, also known as SST.

At this point, the U.S. still was in the mockup stage. The SST program called for aircraft that could reach at least Mach 2 with 300 passengers on intercontinental flights.

But breaking the sound barrier like that comes with very loud booms — which residents protested. Noise and environmental concerns slowly became a problem. How would these new potential planes fit into the populated LAX area?

Santa Monica Island

A map of Santa Monica Island.

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R. Donald Jaye

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Herald Examiner Collection/Los Angeles Public Library

)

One answer was to construct an island off the coast. It would’ve been a few miles into the Pacific Ocean, between Santa Monica and Marina del Rey.

Architect R. Donald Jaye rendered a design of it in 1968. It included a subway route that connected the island to the main LAX airport. Travelers also could hop on a route right off PCH near Santa Monica Pier to get to the island.

The island could’ve had room for the whole shebang — a commercial area, hotels, apartments, and even an aerospace university. There also would’ve been two 15,000 foot runways, which gave the planes plenty of takeoff room.

It’s unclear how seriously city officials pursued this dream, but it clearly didn’t happen. Why?

Plans never came to fruition

The plan eventually was scrapped.

In 1968, the city of L.A. and the county decided to put all their supersonic chips in a spot north of the city, which was called the Palmdale Intercontinental Airport.

Thousands of acres were purchased for this airport, just west of Air Force Plant 42. While a small terminal opened in 1971, it doesn’t have commercial service today. The city of Palmdale hopes to bring it back, according to its website.

Ultimately, while the U.K. and France jointly introduced the supersonic Concorde in 1976, commercial supersonic development fell apart in the U.S. mostly because the SST program became pretty controversial.

Part of this was because of how the aviation industry and policymakers handled the program’s negative ramifications, like intense sound levels and pollution.

According to physicists Joel Primack and Frank von Hippel in “Advice And Dissent: Scientists In The Political Arena,” there were active attempts to hide information from the public, including suppressing unfavorable reports and commissioning others to criticize or supersede them.

After years of backlash, Congress canceled the SST program in 1971.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Los Angeles is moving ahead with plans to install an 8-foot-tall metal fence around the perimeter of MacArthur Park beginning this fall. The park is expected to remain open throughout construction and the fence will eventually be removed, according to city officials.

The fence is meant to improve maintenance, support outdoor programming and make the park safer in response to ongoing concerns about public drug use, homelessness and crime in and around the park. Once the fence is installed, officials say the park will close at night and reopen each morning.

Jimmy Kim, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, said, however, that the fence is not meant to be a permanent fixture of MacArthur Park.

“As we stabilize the community and the neighborhood, it’s meant to  also come off,” he said at a public meeting in MacArthur Park Elementary School on Monday. “As part of the fencing, not only will we do more programming, but there will also be other elements of security and a more controlled environment for us to do activities, because without a gate it’s not very controlled.” 

The fencing project will be completed in two phases. The first phase, scheduled for this fall and winter, will involve installing an approximately 8-foot-tall green metal fence around the park’s perimeter, similar to those already in place at Lafayette Park and LACMA. 

The second phase, scheduled for winter through spring 2027, will focus on adding artistic and decorative elements to the fence. Community members will have an opportunity to weigh in on those features, and Kim said the city will also work with local artists on the designs.

The project outlined during the meeting was attended by Kim and representatives of Mayor Karen Bass’ office, Council District 1 and the Los Angeles Police Department. Monday’s meeting comes as another beautification project recently added spherical orange and red bollards, tree-filled planters and removed a temporary chain-link fence along Alvarado Street.

Kim added that the entire park will be fenced and that all of the corners will have opening areas that have pathways for pedestrians.

Some Westlake residents at the meeting said they weren’t convinced the fence alone would solve the park’s problems.

Maria M. Villalobos, a 78-year-old retiree who has lived in the area for about 10 years, said in her opinion, MacArthur Park’s issues stem from homelessness, addiction and a lack of enforcement, problems she believes require other solutions.

“I think there has to be something stronger,” Villalobos said in Spanish. “These problems haven’t been here for days or months. They’ve been here for a long time.”

Villalobos believes the fence could help to some extent, but only if city leaders also address the underlying issues affecting the park. She suggested building more facilities near the park to serve people experiencing homelessness and those struggling with drug addiction.

“Every day it gets worse,” she said.

Plans for the park outside the fence

Jocelyn Dominguez, deputy director of community engagement for Mayor Karen Bass, said the city is continuing efforts to address social issues in and around the park alongside the fencing project.

She highlighted the city’s dedicated Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement (CIRCLE) team, which operates around the clock in MacArthur Park conducting drug treatment screenings and connecting people with services. 

“We specifically brought a team just for MacArthur Park to make sure that we are doing our drug screenings and really doing our outreach to folks who might be unhoused or needing any other kind of services to make sure that they have access to those,” Dominguez said. 

As part of the broader effort to improve the park, Kim also highlighted several recent upgrades, including new turf installations, restroom improvements, security cameras, lighting repairs and playground enhancements.

Diana Vicente, senior field deputy for Council District 1, said the fencing project is one part of a broader strategy to invest in MacArthur Park and the surrounding neighborhood.

Vicente pointed to the district’s clean teams, violence prevention initiatives, lighting improvements, youth programming and infrastructure investments around the park. 

LAPD Capt. Ben Fernandes said police will be responsible for helping secure the park after closing hours and will continue regular patrols in the area once the fence is installed.

“LAPD will continue its enforcement operations in and around the park,” Fernandes said. “We’ve stepped up operations, working with our federal partners to make sure that the drug dealers are going away.”

Fernandes is referring to two recent large-scale Drug Enforcement Administration and Los Angeles Police Department operations in and around MacArthur Park that targeted alleged drug trafficking and gang activity, but also public drinking and other violations. 

For some Westlake residents and workers in the area, the permanent fence around the park represents a chance to make the park accessible again.

Street vendor Rosa Sánchez, who attended the meeting, no longer feels comfortable spending time in the park the way she once did. Sánchez has lived in the area for nearly 30 years, and said she used to walk through the park and exercise regularly. She now avoids it because she doesn’t feel safe.

“Right now there really is no security,” Sánchez said in Spanish. “You can’t walk or exercise like before. It’s scary because there isn’t safety.”

She said the fence could help if it is paired with increased security and enforcement.

Sánchez currently works about a 15-minute walk from the park and said she stopped selling closer to MacArthur Park because she no longer felt safe. She said she would consider returning if conditions improve.

“If there were more security, maybe I would come back,” she said.

To stay up to date on future community meetings regarding the fence, residents can email admin@themorcosgroup.com or call (310) 479-4727.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

HP Communications, Inc., whose subcontractor struck a 16-inch underground petroleum pipeline in East L.A. last month, said the pipeline operator failed to properly mark the line’s location before the excavation work began.

The May 22 rupture sent an estimated 2,400 gallons of crude oil onto nearby streets and into storm drains, and drew a large-scale response and cleanup. 

In a June 1 statement, the HP Communications said its internal review found that “no markings identifying the pipeline were observed within the delineated work area” where construction was allowed. 

The pipeline is operated by Pacific Pipeline System, which since 2006 has been owned by Plains All American Pipeline.

A Pacific Pipeline System spokesperson released a statement to Boyle Heights Beat noting that the company does not comment on ongoing investigations.

“The cause of the incident remains under investigation by appropriate regulators and governmental authorities,” the statement read. “Pacific Pipeline System continues to focus on response and remediation efforts while cooperating fully with investigators as they work to complete their review.”

HP Communications, in its statement, alleged the pipeline operator incorrectly indicated through the DigAlert system, a notification center that discloses underground facility locations for planned excavation, that the pipeline had been “marked completely and accurately.”

“The purpose of California’s USA/DigAlert system is to help prevent precisely these types of incidents by ensuring that underground facility operators identify and mark the locations of their facilities before excavation or construction activities begin,” the statement read. 

“Construction activities associated with the project by our subcontractor were planned and conducted based on the utility locating information provided through the USA/DigAlert process,” the statement continued.

Under California’s DigAlert system, companies are required to notify the center before digging into a specified area. 

HP Communications said a subcontractor damaged the underground pipeline during construction for a “fiber-optic installation project” but did not identify the subcontractor. 

The work at the site was immediately halted after that, the company said.

“Protecting the safety of workers, first responders, nearby residents, and the surrounding community was the immediate focus of HP’s response efforts,” the statement read, adding that HP Communications is cooperating with agencies involved in the response, cleanup, and investigation efforts. 

The cause of the rupture remains under investigation, and no one has been held responsible. 

It remains unclear whether the excavation work was connected to the Broadband for All initiative, a $6 billion state and federal investment to close the digital divide. 

The plan involves building a network of high-capacity fiber lines that carry large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances, according to LAist. About 10,000 miles of fiber optic cable is being installed throughout California, including more than 500 miles in Los Angeles County. The state owns and manages the system.

HP Communications is one of the companies awarded a contract for the Broadband for All initiative. However, neither the company nor Pacific Pipeline System has publicly identified the project involved in the East L.A. excavation.