The original lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in April 2024. It sought the repeal of Torrance Municipal Code (TMC) sections 51.5.1 through 51.5.7 and the vacating of Torrance Ordinance 3930 (which bans touch/stop and go operations at any time and allows full-stop-taxi-back and low approaches only at certain times). ZAPS claims the City has no authority to do so because the US Government has exclusive sovereignty of airspace of the United States. The lawsuit alleges that these attempts by the City to regulate the airspace above Torrance or the Airport are preempted, invalid, and unenforceable.
On 2/1/2024, the City of Torrance began collecting landing fees from all Torrance Airport customers (except for the Robinson Helicopter Company) under Resolution 3927. The fees, the City stated, ". . .are necessary to offset the City's costs incurred in maintaining and operating airport facilities." No studies, documentation or any support for this claim was ever presented. In fact, over the past 10 years, the City's own public records show that it has transferred over $10 million annually into the General Fund from the Airport Fund because, it claimed, this money was not needed for the operation and maintenance of the airport.
On March 8, 2024, TAA filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. TAA claims that:
The TAA lawsuit asks the Court to:
Substantial air safety issues are implicated when state or local governments attempt to regulate the operation of aircraft. The general balance between Federal and state authority in the context of aviation regulation is well established. The FAA has the exclusive authority to regulate aviation safety and the efficient use of the airspace by aircraft. Attempts by state and local governments to regulate in those fields are invalid and unenforceable. This raises significant legal issues with the attempts by the City of Torrance to do so.