Bob Hope Airport

Airline passenger traffic at the Bob Hope Airport dropped again in August, but at a much lower rate than earlier this year, according to the latest figures released this week. The number of passengers using the airfield in August dropped 1.6% compared to the same period last year, beating budget projections for the month, officials said. The improved figures were a relative bright spot in what has otherwise been a dreary year. Passenger figures dropped 3.3% in July, preceded by declines of more than 5% the four months prior.

One of the most widespread groundwater contaminants in the nation is more dangerous to humans than earlier thought, a federal agency has determined, in a decision that could raise the cost of cleanups nationwide, including large areas of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. The final risk assessment for trichloroethylene by the Environmental Protection Agency found that the widely used industrial solvent causes kidney and liver cancer , lymphoma and other health problems.

For the fifth month in a row, the number of passengers at Bob Hope Airport dropped below budget projections in July, decreasing by 3.3% compared to the same period last year, officials reported. While the decline was not as bad as the previous four months - during which passenger rates tumbled by more than 5% each month - the downward trend continues to eat into airport revenues, according to a report issued this week. Parking revenues, which track closely with the number of passengers using the airfield, were down 3% to $1.55 million in July, compared to $1.6 million during the same period last year.

Burbank officials on Tuesday said a new $15.50 minimum taxicab fare from Bob Hope Airport will not take effect on Friday as planned. In a statement, Senior Assistant City Atty. Richard Morillo said the Burbank Traffic Commission lacked the authority to approve the minimum fare for taxi passengers at the airport because only the City Council held the power to amend current city codes. The minimum fare was approved after taxicab companies complained that they were losing money on short hops to and from the airfield.

Passengers leaving Bob Hope Airport in a taxi soon will have to pay a $15.50 minimum fare, even if they're going just a few blocks. Under a plan approved by city traffic commissioners, the minimum fare takes effect Sept. 23 and impacts only those riders who catch a taxi at the airport. The Burbank Transportation Commission approved the fare in response to taxi drivers who said they were fed up with losing money on short hops to and from the airfield. Many passengers, they say, park in nearby retail parking lots or on city streets and then take a short taxi trip to the airport.

Maintenance workers at Bob Hope Airport took the first step toward unionizing Wednesday after a petition was filed on their behalf with the National Labor Relations Board. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 501 filed the petition after meeting with 35 maintenance workers at the airport for weeks. The National Labor Relations Board will contact TBI Airport Management Inc., which operates the airport, and schedule a meeting between management and union representatives in the next few weeks, said Gavin Koon, a union representative.

Family members and city officials gathered at Bob Hope Airport Thursday for a memorial service for Charles Lombardo, the longtime airport commissioner who died earlier this month. Lombardo, who died at the age of 57, was first appointed to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority in 1998, and was due to serve until June 2013, when his term was set to expire. In addition to being past president of the airport authority, Lombardo had served on the finance and operations committees.

For nearly a year, officials have been trying to figure out what to do with Charles Douglas. The 59-year-old owner of Precise Roofing Company in Burbank has been feeding flocks of pigeons since at least September 2010, officials say, which - beyond violating municipal code - has created a major safety hazard for jet airplanes using the nearby Bob Hope Airport as the birds numbers have grown into the hundreds. On average, airport police Commander Allen Schmitt said planes at Bob Hope Airport strike a bird once every two months.

After a lengthy battle with prostate cancer, Charles Lombardo, a longtime Bob Hope Airport commissioner, died Sunday. He was 57.   Don Brown, who has served with Lombardo on the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority for about a decade, said he was found reclining in a lounge chair in the backyard of his Burbank home. It appeared Lombardo died sometime Sunday afternoon, Brown said. “It looked like he was relaxing, just catching some rays,” Brown said. “He hadn't fallen.