LAX panel under scrutiny

The Los Angeles airport commission is under investigation for possibly violating the state's open-meetings law when it discussed a topic that was not listed on an agenda last month, officials confirmed Friday. Art Marroquin in the Daily News.

The seven-member panel may have breached the Ralph M. Brown Act on Dec. 17 by discussing a congressional report that cited a "high risk" of close calls between aircraft maneuvering on the ground at the nation's airports, including Los Angeles International Airport.

While not taking a formal vote, the airport commission directed airport staff members to develop immediate measures to heighten safety on the northern airfield at LAX. The group also signaled that it intended to ask for a speedy environmental study examining how LAX's parallel northern runways should be configured - a contentious topic that has long drawn the ire of those living near the airport.