Committee accepts airport commission annual report; staff briefed on capital projects and community noise monitoring

The Transportation & Environment Committee voted to accept the San Jose Airport Commission’s annual report and adopt its work plan for the coming year.

Patty Singh, assistant director of aviation at San Jose Mineta International Airport, presented the commission’s annual priorities, describing regular items such as capital projects, air-service updates, marketing and rates and charges, along with special topics including concessions refreshes, Super Bowl planning and the airport master plan. "As you will also see, there's a a bunch of other items from the Super Bowl to concessions updates to our master plan," Singh said as she reviewed the work plan.

Committee members asked whether the airport living wage falls within the commission’s purview. Staff said the airport commission can review the airport living wage but that the airport living wage ordinance itself is established by the City Council. Staff provided the current airport living wage amounts: "$20.52" with benefits and "$21.70" without benefits, and noted that the airport wage is higher than the city minimum wage.

Public commenter Daya Kunkun, speaking for Unite Here Local 19, urged the committee to consider frontline airport workers’ struggles, saying many members "cannot afford to continue living in the city that they are paid to welcome visitors to." Kunkun asked the committee to review pay disparities between airport contractors and comparable city-paid workers.

After brief discussion, the committee approved the report and adopted the work plan by voice vote (motion carried 3–0).