Split Board Bets $360K on Voluntary Airport Noise Fixes

Sonoma County supervisors voted 3-2 on Nov. 3, 2026, to spend up to $360,000 in airport money on a voluntary Fly Quiet program and new flight-procedure designs, despite a skeptical crowd and two dissenting votes. The narrow approval came with a directive: staff and the County Executive have two months to build a roundtable and a sequenced work plan. Both are meant to show residents the County is pushing the FAA, not simply absorbing its decisions.

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• Board approves $360K in Cygnus noise contracts, 3-2, with Coursey and Hopkins opposed
• Noise complaints topped 46,000 through July, up from 10,700 a year earlier
• Eight speakers pressed for baselines, accountability and limits on airport growth
• Staff says federal law blocks local curfews, flight caps and noise ordinance enforcement
• 2027 legislative platform touts lobbying costs cut from $198,000 to $90,000 a year

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Fly Quiet Wins on a Bare Majority

The basics: Fly Quiet is a voluntary program that asks airlines and pilots to adopt noise-reducing practices. It includes operator guidance and public reporting, but it carries no enforcement power.

Why it matters: Complaints about Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport have surged since the FAA's 2024 Redhead procedure. "Through July of this year, we're at over 46,000 compared to 10,700 last year, up 329%," said Airport Manager Jon Stout. Voluntary programs and FAA-submitted procedures are the only tools the County has.

Where things stand: The Board approved two contracts with Cygnus Consulting, both paid from the Airport Enterprise fund balance:

• Fly Quiet: $90,000 ($82,000 in fees plus $8,000 for travel) over about 12 months. The program creates a community and airline roundtable of roughly 15 members.
• Phase 3 airspace design: $270,000 ($255,000 plus $15,000) over 12 to 15 months. Cygnus will develop up to 16 procedure concepts, narrowed to eight for the FAA, with two Board decision points along the way.

Stout was clear about the limits. "It does not allow for a mandatory curfew, create access restrictions to the airport, and it does not create a new flight path without the FAA approvals," he said.

A Cygnus consultant explained why a County-designed procedure matters. "There is no pressure on the FAA to design a procedure for any given airport that comes from a community," the consultant said.

The other side: Vice Chair Chris Coursey (District 3) said complaints fell 35% to 40% in July and August. He called the spending one that "is premature based on the information that we don't have." Stout attributed the drop to the FAA's flight choices. "It is really about the FAA using Charlie 8 more," he said, adding, "Charlie 8 will sunset at some point." Charlie 8 is an older departure procedure.

Supervisor Lynda Hopkins (District 5) questioned enforcement. "We don't really have a stick, right, at the end of the day that can kind of punish bad actors," she said. Stout replied that Fly Quiet "reduced the complaints by about 60%." Hopkins did not state her reasons for voting no.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Supervisor James Gore (District 4) made the motion. It directs the County Executive and staff to build out the program over two months, including the roundtable, inclusion and sequencing. Chair Pro Tem David Rabbitt (District 2) backed it. "I think you also have to have something in your hands to sell," he said.

• Vote: For: 3 (Rabbitt, Gore, Hermosillo); Against: 2 (Coursey, Hopkins); Absent: 0.
• Airlines: They face expectations but no penalties.
• Residents: They gain a seat at the table but no guaranteed relief.

What's next: Staff must return with the work plan within two months. Supervisors also asked for several items:

• Hopkins: Charlie 8 decibel estimates, maps comparing Charlie 8 and Redhead, and Board and community seats on the roundtable.
• Coursey: Flight counts before and after Bohemian Grove, a complaint pattern analysis and a racial equity toolkit review.
• Board Chair Rebecca Hermosillo (District 1): Community engagement details, work with the Office of Equity and flight-time data.

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Residents Want Proof, Not Promises

Why it matters: Eight speakers, from neighborhoods north of the airport to West County, Occidental and Lower Dry Creek Valley, delivered a largely unified message. Voluntary measures without a baseline or consequences will not restore what they lost.

Where things stand: A resident living about 11,000 feet north of the airport described constant low flights. "They're coming in every 5 minutes," she said, and she urged a return to pre-2024 conditions. Another unnamed resident asked for a sound baseline from 2023, before Redhead, and monitoring beyond a 1-mile radius. "No deflection to the FAA is the unstoppable barrier," that resident said.

West County resident Kathy Differding dismissed the program outright. "There's no teeth in it. There's no incentive. There's no accountability," she said.

The other side: Retired airline pilot Brad Alper has asked the FAA to design an RNAV departure, a satellite-guided route. He urged the Board to earmark the money but hold off. "Don't sign the contract until the FAA comes back and says, hey, Mr. Alper, we're going to go ahead and implement your procedure," he said. Monique Parrish seconded his request and stressed spreading flights equitably.

Andrea Oric offered the warmest reception. "I am happy about the roundtable portion," she said, and she also supported Phase 3. Oric still questioned the virtual noise modeling and asked, "It's unclear what incentives there are for an airline to cooperate."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Several speakers, including Stephen Chatham and Jan Tomaszoff, tied noise to airport growth. With four airlines now serving the airport, Tomaszoff asked the Board to "please control the increase, if any, of future flights there."

Gore acknowledged the mood. "There's a palpable level of exhaustion in this room," he said. Hermosillo added a caution: "I want to make sure that we are not shifting the burden from one neighborhood to another."

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Federal Law Ties the County's Hands

The basics: The Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 and its Part 161 rules govern local airport restrictions. The FAA has never approved such a restriction, including attempts in Burbank and Los Angeles. In 2013, the FAA found the County's noise ordinance was not grandfathered.

Where things stand: A legal advisor told Hopkins a curfew pathway "still exists in the Federal Register as a pathway by which local entities can control noise," but the odds are low. "There is no cap on flights through any particular airspace," the advisor said. Grant assurances also require nondiscrimination, so the County cannot limit flights based on infrastructure. Stout cited practical ceilings, including roughly 235,000 in annual service volume and limited terminal and apron space.

The other side: Hopkins asked whether the County could challenge the FAA's categorical exemption for Redhead under NEPA, the federal environmental review law. "It feels like they made this decision in the dark, zero input and guidance," she said. Counsel said the review period had closed but offered to consult CEQA and NEPA experts.

What's next: Hopkins suggested adding curfew advocacy to the County's legislative platform. Gore wants residents to see "that we are pushing, that we aren't just kind of quietly placating what the FAA currently does."

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A Leaner Lobbying Playbook for 2027

Why it matters: The County is spending less on lobbying while getting bills passed. "Today, contract advocacy costs $7,500 per month or $90,000 a year, down from $198,000 annually in early 2024," said Administrative Analyst Will Tiscione of the County Executive's Office. Three County-backed measures became law: AB 1139, SCR 78 and AB 1601.

Where things stand: The 2027 platform adds several new sections:

• A state mandates principle
• A civil rights access and inclusion section
• Statements on HR 1's effects on Medi-Cal and CalFresh

It also carries three state proposals:

• Fairgrounds reuse under the Surplus Lands Act
• Remote public comment safeguards under SB 707
• Bond funding for Veterans Memorial Buildings

A single request for qualifications (RFQ) in spring 2027 would create state and federal lobbyist pools. Thorn Run Partners continues under a single-source waiver in the meantime.

The other side: Hopkins asked about adding vegetation management. "It didn't quite flesh out as one of the 3 proposals because frankly it wasn't fully baked yet," Tiscione said, noting it could still become a bill. Coursey flagged expiring Medi-Cal funding for crisis response and the resulting risk to Measure O.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Rabbitt endorsed the narrow focus. "If everything's a priority, nothing's a priority," he said. Hopkins called the savings slide "wonderful." A motion and roll call followed, but no result was announced, and the votes of Gore and Hopkins were unclear. The official minutes will confirm whether the platform was adopted.

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Minor Items

• Consent calendar (items 3–31) passed 5-0 without public comment. It dissolves the Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) and Creative Sonoma advisory boards, which staff said supported dissolution.
• Harvest Fair honorees received Gold Resolutions. They include Brooke Parsons, Lee Martinelli Sr., Sheila Quince, Old Caz Brewery and Clover Sonoma.
• Frates Road open space easement (item 34) was continued to Nov. 17.
• Closed session produced no reportable action on anticipated litigation or Olsborg v. County of Sonoma.
• The meeting adjourned in honor of Bob Beach, a former Sonoma Water leader.

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Looking Ahead

The Board meets again Nov. 17. The Frates Road easement is on that agenda, and the airport work plan is due within two months.