Palisades Drilling Foes Ask Mayoral Bid by Yaroslavsky

Angry over Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley’s decision to approve oil drilling in the Pacific Palisades, drilling opponents Sunday asked Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky to enter the race for mayor against Bradley.

Calls were made to Yaroslavsky after a meeting of No Oil, a Pacific Palisades organization that has opposed Occidental Petroleum Corp.’s proposal to drill for oil along the Palisades coastline.

Yaroslavsky was unavailable for comment Sunday night.

Bradley announced Saturday he would sign the ordinance allowing the oil drilling.

Seeking Fourth Term Bradley, running for a fourth term, is presently opposed by City Councilman John Ferraro, who also favors the oil drilling. Yaroslavsky has opposed it.

Shirley Solomon, a longtime leader of the fight against oil drilling, said that Rep. Mel Levine (D-Santa Monica), another oil drilling opponent, also called Yaroslavsky to ask him to run.

Two of those attending the No Oil meeting said that it was the “consensus of the meeting that he (Yaroslavsky) should run.”

“His office will be flooded with phone calls . . . asking him to run,” one of the meeting participants said.

Today is the final day for entering the race for mayor in the April 9 primary.