Inglewood resident Prentis Bolden, after conferring with D-1 Council Mem- ber Mike Stevens about years of empty promises to have his eligible house sound-insulated, points to the much newer apartment complex across the street which was being sound-proofed.

In the decades since the many variations of the Residential Sound Insulation Program (RSIP) was instituted, LAX—which is owned by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)—has proffered many changes to the residents of Inglewood. From contract passages that wholly indemnify LAX from any further legal action, to funding a city program that has been “mismanaged” to the point of building and sound- proofing new luxury apartment complexes while existing houses remain uninsulated, to changes in contract language that the city attorney allows to let “slip,” the LAWA’s LAX Master Plan Program, wherein is found the Community Benefit Agreement (CBA), has been altered in many ways.

The result has been a largely unfulfilled program, nearly $100 million dollars “lost,” and a deadline approaching in Dec. 2015.

Fortunately, Inglewood has a proponent working for the residents. District 1 Council Member Mike Stevens, whose decades of work to get the CBA fulfilled, continues to root out the problems that appear to be intentionally presented to usurp the sound insulation program.
Despite refusals by the appointed city officials who are responsible for the city bud- get, he has pushed for an initiative to execute a “detailed forensic level audit of the RSIP Department—and for good reason. According to the LAX CBA 2010 Annual report, “the City of Inglewood, for the second year in a row, has not requested any annual funding.” The loss of such funds amounts to approximately $4.5 million. The filing of such requests is handled by the City of Inglewood manager.

Stevens is also in the vanguard to undo the introduction of the phrase, “Squared Block.” Meant to replace the phrase “End of Block,” this significant and possibly illegal change in the CBA’s language means fewer residents who are presently eligible to receive sound-proofing, will remain eligible. The problem with this language is that a growing number of Inglewood residents are dying be- fore they receive the sound insulation that may have made their last few years less stressful, less disease-prone or even more numerous.

Stevens, along with D-2 Council Member Judy Dunlap, are the only two who appear to be fighting to hold the FAA and LAX responsible while keeping the CBA truly beneficial.