Crashes of planes entering or exiting S.M. Airport are extremely rare, and almost NEVER on a residential street. It is an incredibly safe airport. I found it very pleasant to live nearby, especially when pilots are flying their vintage WWII aircraft on weekends.
“Crashes are...extremely rare”???
Just within the past decade, the place has averaged a fatal crash every seventeen months. Check the facts under “accidents” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica_Airport
As for who got there first, airport or homeowners, it doesn’t matter. It would now better serve the public interest to move the airport than to try to get rid of all of the homes imperiled by the place.