Santa Monica Airport (SMO) supporters were dealt a heavy blow by voters this week as Measure D was defeated with 58 percent voting no. The measure was designed to transfer power over major decisions affecting the Santa Monica Airport from the city council to local voters. The Santa Monica City Council has made no secret of its desire to close the airport and redevelop the 227-acre property.
The results came as a surprise to AOPA’s vice president of airports, Bill Dunn, who has been fighting to keep SMO open for more than two decades. “The benchmark survey in the end of September showed Measure D polling at 68 percent positive and the city’s competing LC polling at 33 percent positive,” Dunn said in an interview with Flying.
