Secretive Bohemian Grove club gets special flight treatment as CA community rages over noise

The billionaires and power brokers flying into Bohemian Grove got something Sonoma County residents have been fighting for since last year: peace and quiet.The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily ditched a controversial flight path during the elite club’s annual retreat, sending many departing planes along an older, quieter route while private jets packed the regional airport, then switched back once the secretive gathering wrapped up.The move sparked fresh outrage among locals, who say the agency proved it could reduce the relentless aircraft noise over their neighborhoods all along.Rep.Jared Huffman on Wednesday accused the FAA of giving preferential treatment to Bohemian Grove’s wealthy guests after years of rejecting similar requests from the surrounding community.“When the Bohemians come to town, they get the response that I’ve spent the better part of two years demanding with my West County constituents,” Huffman told KQED.

“But when the private jets go away, we’re not sure what happens.I want to make sure … that the folks I represent get the same consideration as the billionaires and oligarchs who are having a good time in Bohemian Grove.”The timing is especially striking as an alleged 2023 membership list from the notoriously secretive Bohemian Club has surfaced.The all-male Bohemian Club has hosted its annual retreat at its secluded 2,700-acre campground in Sonoma County since the 1870s, attracting some of the country’s most influential figures from politics, business and technology.For nearby residents, however, the annual gathering has become synonymous with a different kind of privilege.The FAA rolled out its “Redhead” departure route in January 2024, sending aircraft over communities including Sebastopol, Forestville and Guerneville at lower altitudes.

Residents say aircraft noise complaints have quadrupled since the change.But during July’s Bohemian Grove encampment, locals noticed something unusual.Of the roughly 24...