Airport Expansion Consulting Firm Quits

Adding to the turmoil surrounding the leadership of Los Angeles International Airport and its controversial proposed expansion, a key consulting group on Friday exercised its right to terminate its own contract.

The company, known as Consensus Planning Group, emphasized that the decision to quit was made by the firm. There was no pressure applied to the company to leave, according to company and city officials.

“Consensus Planning Group strongly believes that the future strength of Los Angeles’ economy depends on the adoption of a master plan for LAX,” said the company’s resignation letter, signed by President Julie Gertler. “We have made a unilateral decision to resign because we also believe that at this turning point in the project, the leadership of the city and the department should have maximum flexibility to assemble a team to carry out its vision for the future of LAX.”

The company’s resignation is effective in 30 days and leaves unfinished the firm’s $2.2-million contract for gauging community perspectives on the proposed expansion.

It comes just after Mayor Richard Riordan pushed Airport Commission President Dan Garcia to resign and Commissioner Bill Dahl agreed to step down after Garcia insisted that he lose his spot as well. Edelman Worldwide, another consulting firm that had been working on the project, also left recently, and Barbara Johnson, a Westside lawyer, has been hired by the mayor’s office as a special consultant to help coordinate a project that some fear has lost its direction.

Meanwhile, City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter has been working to build community opposition to the expansion and has used her council post to intervene and review the airport’s attempts to replace Edelman. Galanter was out of town Friday and not immediately available for comment on the latest resignation.