San Mateo County Grand Jury
• 2010-2011
County Officials Need to Make Noise about Aircraft Noise Issue | Background | Findings | Conclusions | Recommendations
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 10 findings
F1
There has been an increase in both total departures and night departures from SFO. Increased volume and changed flight patterns have had an adverse impact on some northern San Mateo County communities including Brisbane and parts of Daly City and South San Francisco. Some of the areas currently experiencing the most severe impacts either declined to participate or were deemed ineligible for the original noise insulation program.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Take an active role in revitalizing the SFO Roundtable to make sure that the interests of San Mateo County and its residents are fully represented, and that every effort is being made to mitigate the severe and increasing impacts of SFO airport expansion on San Mateo County residents. The Grand Jury recommends that the County Board of Supervisors and the member cities of the SFO Roundtable direct their representatives to take action that will:
F2
Noise data collected by SFO and monitored by the SFO Roundtable address noise averages and do not focus on single events. No data is collected on individual night-time events, which can be the most distressing to residents.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Request the SFO Noise Abatement Office to deploy equipment to measure and track the intensity of structural vibration on departure flight paths.
F3
The violation of noise standards by any aircraft is deemed a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine of $1000. Under California law, San Mateo County has the authority to impose fines and sanctions for violations of noise regulations established by the State of California, Division of Aeronautics. San Mateo County does not impose fines or sanctions on offending airlines as a matter of policy.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Change the focus of required data collection and reports to ACTUAL noise measurements rather than COMPLAINTS from residents about noise.
F4
The State of California, which issues the airport operating permit, is not represented as an advisory member of the SFO Roundtable.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Increase the focus on single event noise violations and frequency, especially with night departures, rather than the 65dbCNEL which represents an average of noise experienced within a 24 hour period.
F5
Reports received by the SFO Roundtable, prepared by the SFO Noise Abatement Office, are not easily accessible to the public on the website (www.SFORoundtable.org). Information on the website was not current and a message stating that the website is "under construction" was displayed for the approximately one year duration of this investigation.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Adapt the "Fly Quiet" Program to include sanctions as well as rewards based on single event violations, particularly with night departures. 6
F6
The Roundtable membership does not include any individual residents, nor do they have any citizen representation on any subcommittees.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Create a sub-committee of the SFO Roundtable comprised of the elected representatives from the northern San Mateo County cities most impacted by aircraft departure noise to focus on mitigating the problems in those communities.
F7
The bylaws of the SFO Roundtable do not require that the Chairperson and Vice- Chairperson be elected representatives from the participating San Mateo County communities who are accountable to their constituencies. The current Chairperson of the SFO Roundtable is not an elected official.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Modify the SFO Roundtable bylaws to require that both the Chair and Vice-Chair be elected officials from participating San Mateo County communities.
F8
The level of attendance by SFO Roundtable members varies widely and is declining overall. Daly City has withdrawn from membership entirely, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representative has not appeared since February of 2009. The SFO Roundtable recently decided to reduce their meeting schedule from monthly to quarterly.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
Expand SFO Roundtable membership to include a representative from the State of California, Division of Aeronautics, to serve as a liaison. The 2010-2011 San Mateo County Grand Jury recommends that the City Council of Daly City:
F9
Public participation at SFO Roundtable meetings is minimal. With one exception, all of the elected members of the SFO Roundtable and all of the residents interviewed stated that noise complaints were not a reliable source of feedback because people had either "given up" or did not believe that complaining was effective. 5
No recommendations for this finding
F10
Daly City withdrew as a member of the SFO Roundtable in 2010, citing budget restraints as the reason. Membership fees for 2010 were $750. Conclusions
No recommendations for this finding
Conclusions 6
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CL1 Page 6While numerous San Mateo County communities are affected to various degrees by aircraft noise from SFO, the most severe impacts are created by departures over Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, San Bruno and South San Francisco. The increasing frequency and intensity of aircraft noise, particularly at night, represents a problem for the quality of life for the residents of those communities.
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CL2 Page 6The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has not recently taken an active role in addressing aircraft noise issues and has largely delegated this responsibility to the SFO Airport Roundtable.
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CL3 Page 6It would be more effective to have elected officials serve as Chairperson and Vice- chairperson of the SFO Roundtable, as they are directly accountable to the citizens.
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CL4 Page 6Including a representative of the State of California, Division of Aeronautics, on the SFO Roundtable would add an important dimension and enhance effectiveness.
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CL5 Page 6The lack of effectiveness of the SFO Roundtable has caused a decline in attendance and enthusiasm for participation in the SFO Roundtable. Community participation is minimal and not encouraged.
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CL6 Page 6The focus on average noise levels, rather than single events, can distort the extent and magnitude of the problem and foster the belief that complaining is futile.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office