Aaron Feldman takes fight with FAA to Washington

Fighting a two-front war with the Federal Aviation Administration over the too-tall high-rise he is building near Kearny Mesa's Montgomery Field and two towers he's proposing for Harbor Island near Lindbergh Field, Sunroad Enterprises' Aaron Feldman has gone to Washington for some heavy-duty help. According to a February filing with the clerk of the U.S. Senate, Sunroad has retained the services of lobbyist David Schaffer, whose duties are listed as "ensuring that a building does not create an unsafe condition for aircraft." Formerly senior counsel and GOP staff director for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's aviation panel, Schaffer has represented such well-heeled clients as Virgin Nigeria, a joint venture between the Nigerian government and Britain's Virgin Atlantic that wanted takeoff and landing rights in New York and Houston, and Sound Initiative, a group lobbying for legislation against noisy jets. Five years ago, Schaffer told a writer for Washington Monthly, "People on the Hill don't really see lobbyists as evil. But the public doesn't see it that way."