Ontario, Calif. officials filed a claim on April 11 seeking to dissolve a joint powers agreement in an attempt to wrest control of its local airport away from Los Angeles. Los Angeles has 45 days to respond before Ontario officials file a lawsuit, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
The claim seeks to dissolve a joint-powers agreement created in 1967 to rescue Ontario airport from failure.
Now Ontario city officials say Los Angeles World Airports' mismanagement and neglect of Ontario airport resulted in a precipitous drop off in passenger traffic, with knock-on effects to their local economy. ONT has lost 40% of its passenger traffic since 2007.
In their claim, Ontario officials say Los Angeles put its resources into Los Angeles International Airport at Ontario's expense.
The Los Angeles City Council agreed on Tuesday to have the city attorney work with LAWA and City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana to determine the validity of Ontario's claim and what legal options it could pursue, the newspaper reported.
The Los Angeles City Council adopted a motion last year asking LAWA leadership to draft a plan to return the airport to local control.
LAWA officials determined the airport was worth $474 million, while Ontario officials estimate its worth $250 million. Ontario officials rejected the price a day before filing the claim, according to the report.
