By Los Angeles County Politics(LACP)
The county’s own consultant on the Whiteman Airport land-use study said Monday that while winning Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to close the Pacoima airport is a difficult and time-consuming process, it is not an impossible one — and she has the track record to back it up.
Lisa Trifiletti of Trifiletti Consulting, who is leading the county’s comprehensive study of Whiteman’s future, told a gathering of closure advocates at Van Nuys Airport that she has personally negotiated FAA reversals on airport land issues at LAX, Inglewood, El Segundo, and Culver City — in some cases returning to the agency three separate times before securing approval.
“I also know that you can push FAA,” Trifiletti said. Her study, she added, is explicitly “assuming that we are able to meet the FAA test” on full closure, while acknowledging it “may take some time to achieve.”
That assessment stands in direct contrast to the picture painted by a recent San Fernando Valley Sun story, which reported on a January 2026 FAA letter and characterized its findings as suggesting closure was effectively off the table. The Sun quoted selectively from the letter without providing a link to the full document or the broader context of its contents.
LACP is seeking a complete copy of the letter and will report on its full findings in a follow-up story.
Based on what the Sun reported, the letter does make clear that LA County cannot unilaterally close the airport. Because the county has accepted multiple Airport Improvement Grants for Whiteman, the land is subject to federal obligations that do not expire. The FAA confirmed the property remains “federally obligated until released by the FAA,” and that any closure must “demonstrate a net benefit to civil aviation” — with “non-aviation interests” unable to serve as justification.
But Trifiletti’s comments suggest that threshold, while high, is negotiable — and the airport’s own operational picture may ultimately help make the case. According to the study presentation, Whiteman is currently running at roughly 68% vacancy, and is burdened by long-term leases the county cannot terminate, some running as late as 2059.
According to attendees who spoke with LACP after the meeting, a significant number of aircraft at Whiteman are no longer airworthy but remain on site because dismantling costs roughly $10,000 per plane. “It’s like an airplane junkyard,” one attendee said.
The FAA’s own test for closure requires demonstrating that activity levels can be absorbed elsewhere — a bar that may look different when measured against an airport operating well below capacity with a significant number of non-flying planes on the ground.
Monday’s gathering brought members of the NEST Coalition — a group of Pacoima- and San Fernando Valley-area nonprofits advocating for closure — to Prop Park BNY, a privately developed fixed-base operator facility at Van Nuys that houses small propeller aircraft, the same category that makes up the overwhelming majority of Whiteman’s current traffic.
Steve Argubright, co-owner of the Prop Park and managing partner of Pacific Aircraft Development — which has also developed and managed facilities at Whiteman — led the group through the facility, explaining hangar rental operations, aircraft storage logistics, and how private general aviation functions alongside a public runway. The visit was organized by Trifiletti to show closure advocates what a scaled-down, mixed-use airport operation might look like.
The tour was the latest step in a study process underway since April 2024, when LA County initiated the comprehensive land-use review following community health and safety concerns. Trifiletti’s team has conducted more than 50 stakeholder meetings to date, with scenario findings expected by May and a full report to the county by the end of June.
Even with Trifiletti’s cautious optimism about the FAA process, closure advocates are recalibrating expectations.
One NEST Coalition member who attended Monday’s tour told LACP that while the group still wants to see full closure pursued, the near-term target has shifted. “Partial closure is the preference,” the source said. “There will be a lot of pushback from FAA in terms of getting a full closure, but we still want to see a full effort put into what that would look like — and to see that presented to the community so they have a full picture of all scenarios.”
The NEST Coalition tour was coordinated by Pacoima Beautiful’s Veronica Padilla, whose organization has been among the leading advocates for closure, with political support from LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Imelda Padilla, and State Sen. Caroline Menjivar.
Trifiletti’s final report is expected by the end of June.
Editor’s Note: LACP sent three media inquiries to Angela Herrera-Perez, Senior Public Information Specialist at the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity, beginning March 19, seeking details about this meeting. After receiving no response, LACP notified her on the morning of March 23 that it would be attending. Herrera-Perez replied 11 minutes later asking “what meeting you are referring to.” Upon arrival, LACP was told the event was not open to media. LACP disputed that characterization and was admitted.
