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West Sonoma County residents ask Board to press FAA after departure-route change increases jet noise
Summary
Residents told the Board that a new FAA departure procedure (Redhead 1) has concentrated jet departures over rural communities and drastically increased complaints; they asked the county to petition the FAA for route dispersal and commission a Part 150 noise study.
Several West Sonoma County residents told the Board on March 24 that a new FAA departure procedure has routed nearly all departing jets over rural neighborhoods, producing frequent, high-throttle overflights and a spike in noise complaints. Paul Zera (speaker 27) described the change as a shift from a dispersed Highway 101 corridor to concentrated tracks over Sebastopol, Graton, Forestville, Freestone and Occidental and said the county's noise complaints rose dramatically from about 1,135 in 2023 to 26,494 in 2025.
Zera asked the Board to petition the FAA for a dispersal procedure between Redhead 1 and the Charlie 8 corridor, to commission a formal Part 150 noise study, and to seek reconsideration of the FAA's categorical exclusion that approved the procedure. Guy Gullion (speaker 29), representing the West Sonoma County Jet Noise Coalition, called the new departure path a "narrow jet-engine highway" that carries concentrated noise and said residents had gathered thousands of petition signatures.
Supervisors thanked speakers, noted the county had submitted a March 2 letter to the FAA, and described ongoing coordination with airport management, the Aviation Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration. Board members said they would continue to advocate and share information with community groups and noted interim study work being prepared by the Aviation Commission and airport staff.
