The Myth of the "no left turn" law

Section 51.2.3(e) of the Torrance Municipal Code (TMC) states: "Aircraft taking off to the west shall not turn left until they have either reached the ocean or attained an altitude of fifteen hundred (1,500) feet."

Is it enforceable?

City of Torrance says “YES”

• Claims it’s “grandfathered” by Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA) of 1990, in spite of the fact that ANCA deals ONLY with turbine-powered aircraft weighing over 12,500 lbs—does not deal with piston-powered aircraft at all
• Claim based on verbal comment supposedly made by local FAA employee but the City has no documents supporting its claim
• City paid an outside legal firm $$60,459 between 1 July 2022 and 29 Feb 2024 to convince the FAA that it was wrong.
• The outside counsel repeated the claim to FAA, but Torrance was rebuffed for the fourth time

FAA Chief Counsel has told the City “NO” (4 times)

• Based on FAA’s exclusive authority to regulate aviation in United States which was given to FAA by Congress in 1958 (72 Stat. 731).
• Based on “Supremacy Clause” (Article VI, Clause 2) of the U. S. Constitution and the Preemption Doctrine based on that clause--gives Federal laws supremacy over state and local “laws”
• Confirmed by multiple Federal Court rulings (States and municipalities have no authority to regulate aircraft in flight)
• FAA Chief Counsel stated the above facts in three letters and one verbal communication with the City
• FAA says “grandfathering” comment by its employee was likely misunderstood by the City

The General Counsels of five national aviation organizations say "NO"

The counsels for the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, the Helicopter Association International, the National Business Aviation Association, the General Aviaton Manufacturers Association and the National Air Transportation Association have written a 70+ page joint letter to advise the City of its error.

In it, they state:
"To avoid the waste of taxpayer funds in attempting to defend clear violations of the law, the implementation and enforcement of the actions approved on July 25, 2023, should be held in abeyance pending verification of legal compliance with the FAA. We request an in-person with you no later than October 13, 2023, to discuss the legal landscape in greater detail, with the goal of avoiding preventable legal battles that will require significant financial and staff resources to litigate law that is already well settled."

Torrance Municipal Code contains many sections that illegally encroach on FAA’s exclusive authority and therefore are invalid and unenforceable