The Gull's Call - Jul/Aug/Sept 2025

by John Hamilton, CLASS President

C LASS (CITIZENS LEAGUE FOR AIRPORT SAFETY AND Serenity) is a homeowner supported group formed by CHBI residents. It was formed in 1989 after the filing of a lawsuit against the Port of Oakland resulting in a Settlement Agreement which gives CLASS and the City of Alameda direct input on airport planning and more open communication on issues which could affect the airport’s neighbors. Having a seat at the table allows CLASS volunteers to address management staff of the airport, the FAA, and representatives of Southwest and Fedex to name a few. There are a total of 8 meetings a year in which important events and data are reviewed. This takes some time and there are only 4 volunteers in the CHBI. So, out of the 3000 homes, only 4 take the time to bring up issues with the airport. Without the 4 volunteers from CHBI, CLASS would cease to function and the seat at the table to work with airport staff would be lost. North field jet flyovers would surely increase and there would be no way to investigate related issues. So please volunteer as the volunteer members are in need of relief. On a brighter note, in March during airport expansion settlement discussions, the airport management put in a request with the FAA to shift another 1/3 of the departing jet traffic 6 degrees towards the center of the

bay. This is likely to take up to 2 years to come to fruition. The 6 degree shift has shown to be a 3dBA reduction in BFI noise. Meanwhile, one key item in the settlement agreement is the willingness of the city of Alameda and OAK to participate with SFO in carving up the airspace. As it stands now, SFO rules the roost, they try not make OAK planes late, and SJO (San Jose) gets what is left. If the city of Alameda and OAK don’t participate in SFO’s future flight planning – we’ll end up with the short end of the stick with more OAK planes flying closer to Alameda and more SFO airplanes flying over Alameda as well. See the entire text of the settlement agreement at CLASSalameda. com. So volunteer with CLASS to work for the betterment of the future of all Alameda residents. Volunteer today by sending an email to: info@classalameda.com And in a now familiar request – have you been sending in your noise complaints? Just type in “OAK noise” and you’ll see a link or just type in “CLASS alameda” for more options. No noise complaints means that there is no problem. No problem means that no effort will be put into a solution. This was stated by the US congressional committee on airport noise. Help this not be the outcome for the 15,000 residents of Bay Farm Island. Get involved now and do your part! REGISTER YOUR AIRPLANE NOISE COMPLAINT flyquietoak.com/community/file - noise - complaint CALL 510.563.6463 SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW

The more people that call and complain, the more responsive the airport will be. Let ’ s work together to reduce airport noise. This is your opportunity to improve your quality of life in Harbor Bay.

www.classalameda.com • info@classalameda.com

July | August | September 2025 21

The Gull’s Call