In the ongoing dispute over Santa Monica Airport (SMO), the city of Santa Monica, Calif., said it has been ordered “not to seek an expedited trial on [FBO] eviction proceedings prior to [a December 1 court date].” Last Friday, the city filed unlawful detainer lawsuits against the two FBOs at SMO, American Flyers and Atlantic Aviation, in an attempt to force them to abide by 30-day eviction notices filed on September 15, and taking effect on October 15. The city has indicated that it would take over running FBO services at the airport.
According to the city, the FBOs “are operating under leases that have expired,” although the city won’t acknowledge that it refused to renew the FBOs’ leases. The city explained that its lawsuits are a response to lawsuits filed by the FBOs one day earlier that sought a temporary restraining order from Los Angeles Superior Court to prevent the city from filing its unlawful detainer lawsuits. The FBOs’ request was denied, and now a preliminary injunction hearing has been set for December 1, and the city said it has been ordered to not try to expedite eviction proceedings before that date.
While this delays the eviction process, the city is not backing down on its plans to take over FBO services at the airport, which it is trying to close. “In the meantime,” the city said in a statement, “the council has directed staff to proceed in an orderly fashion to assert our right to take over all legally required fixed-base operations at Santa Monica Airport and to establish a city-run FBO that operates in the public interest and not for private profit.”
Meanwhile, tonight marks the closing of an airport institution, Typhoon Restaurant, which is holding an election-day goodbye celebration after a month-long “end of the world party.” The restaurant’s owners decided to close after the city council “nearly tripled our rent.” Airport supporters believe that the city’s move is intended to discourage pilots from flying to SMO for meals at Typhoon’s runway-adjacent location. The city plans to turn the restaurant into office space.
Santa Monica mayor Kevin McKeown disputed the claim about the rent tripling. "We negotiated the long-term lease in good faith with the current owner," he explained. "Turned out he wanted to retire and sell the restaurant, with the lease, to a new operator. When the buyers backed out of the deal with the current owner, he decided to pull the plug on the restaurant."