Photo: Greg Reyna/ Media City G — Bob Frutos gave first speech as Burbank mayor at city council reorganization meeting May 1, 2015
Burbank Mayor, Bob Frutos, is on an urgent mission to reach out to as many residents as possible and he has very little time to do it. Several meetings concerning some major issues involving the Bob Hope Airport are coming up soon. In these meetings, Mayor Frutos believes “the people’s voice” should be heard. One issue, a replacement terminal at the airport, has been up for discussion for a while. However, recently a movement to rebrand the airport has gained momentum and that has created a lot of chatter in B-town as well.
Rebranding Bob Hope Airport
Last Friday, Burbank City Hall officials became aware that a Burbank Airport Authority subcommittee plans to discuss rebranding the airport at a special meeting on Tuesday, July 7. A South Pasadena firm, Anyone Collective, is reportedly recommending the facility use the name “Los Angeles Burbank Airport” as a marketing tool.
The authority staff is backing the recommendation and praised the work done by the consultants over the past few months according to Tuesday’s agenda: “Anyone Collective has done extensive research and due diligence in order to recommend a branding/marketing name for the Airport which will create clear and strong geographic location recognition, particularly for prospective passengers east of the Rocky Mountains who are traveling to the Los Angeles area.”
In a phone interview yesterday, Mayor Frutos vehemently disagreed with the recommendation, saying it “is not in the best interest of the city.” The airport is in Burbank and “to associate (Burbank) us with Los Angeles doesn’t make sense,” Frutos added. The mayor suggests “Hollywood Burbank Hope Airport” would be a name better suited for an airport in a town known as the “media capital of the world.”
In 1977, the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena set up the airport authority as a separate entity to own and run the airport. Each city is represented by three commissioners at the authority. Frutos admits the commissioners are not required to seek input from Burbank on a new name, but the mayor says, “If they were good neighbors — they would ask.”
Frutos plans to attend the special Operations and Development meeting on Tuesday, 9 a.m. in the Airport Skyroom of the Bob Hope Airport, to express his concerns and to get a look at the consulting firm’s research supporting the rebrand name of “Los Angeles Burbank Airport.”
Special city council meeting
Meanwhile, at 6 p.m. in City Hall this evening, Mayor Frutos will chair a special city council meeting to discuss the proposed agenda for a joint city council/airport authority meeting. That joint meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 at Burbank’s Buena Vista Library. The controversial airport replacement terminal will be the main topic at that joint meeting.
All the meetings are open to concerned citizens and there will be time set aside for public comments.
