The devastation from the Southern California fires should cause our county leaders to rethink their visions of the past and recognize that Reid-Hillview Airport is essential to their primary obligation to protect the community. This tragedy has prompted San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Los Gatos town manager Chris Constantinto re-assess their cities’ disaster preparedness. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors should do the same.
In August 2020, the SCU Lightning Complex fires burned 396,624 acres and destroyed 225 structures in Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties. Cal Fire ranked this fire fifth out of the 20 largest California fires. Concurrently, the CZU Lightning Complex fires burned 86,509 acres and destroyed 1,490 structures in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. Cal Fire ranked the CZU fire 14th out of 20 of the most destructive California wildfires.
Reid-Hillview and San Martin airports supported aircraft fighting these fires. Without this support, outcomes would have been much worse. General aviation airports are one of the most important tools in the Cal Fire arsenal. In addition, general aviation airports are the single most important infrastructure element to support supply lines during a disaster such as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. These disasters illustrate the importance of having multiple disaster response sources.
Nevertheless, the county has been trying to close Reid-Hillview since 1986. In 1993, the Stanford Research Institute studied the land-use question and determined that the best use of the property was as an airport. In 1996, the San Jose City Council adopted a resolution that “unequivocally supports the continued operation of Reid-Hillview Airport,” based on that report, finding that “Reid-Hillview Airport is an irreplaceable asset to the public transportation system of the County of Santa Clara, City of San Jose and the surrounding region.”
But in 2013, Supervisor Cindy Chavez continued the quest to close Reid-Hillview, claiming that airborne lead from aviation fuel was contaminating the soil and elevating lead levels in children. Two lead studies were conducted. The first took no samples but merely projected results based on previous data. The second study did take soil samples and found that lead levels at the airport were less than other areas of San Jose and did not exceed regional, state or federal standards. Despite this finding, the county voted to close Reid-Hillview Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration, meanwhile, disputes the county’s right to do so, citing contractual obligations. What the land would be used for remains to be seen. Housing would require San Jose‘s approval to provide infrastructure support such as public safety, roads and the like. In the meantime, we know that Reid-Hillview is a strategic asset available to fight fires and support supply lines in the event of an earthquake or other disaster.
It is important to note that although Cal Fire has more than 14 air tanker bases and 10 helicopter bases, other general aviation airports like Reid-Hillview throughout Los Angeles and Ventura County played pivotal roles in keeping firefighting response and turnaround times to a minimum. Building more housing is a laudable goal unless it becomes more fuel for the fire due to lack of firefighting aircraft.
History teaches that those who fail to learn its lessons are doomed to repeat them. Let’s all hope county leaders heed the lessons.
John B. Carr is the chair of the Santa Clara County Airports Commission and a member since 2017.