City Denies Drilling Permit to Occidental

A Los Angeles city zoning administrator today refused to issue Occidental Petroleum Corp. a permit to drill for oil in Pacific Palisades, ruling that the company’s proposed beachfront drilling project would have “sweeping” and “permanent adverse effects” on the coastal environment.

Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude, the council’s leading opponent of the project--which was approved by Mayor Tom Bradley and the City Council--hailed the ruling, saying it was “a tremendous victory for the people of Los Angeles.”

Maria Hummer, a lawyer representing Occidental, however, described the ruling as “seriously flawed.

“Our view of the analysis is that it is wrong,” Hummer said.

Will Appeal

Hummer said Occidental, which has spent the better part of two decades fighting for the controversial drilling project, will appeal to the city’s Board of Zoning Appeal, whose five members are appointed by the mayor.

The effect of the ruling, by Associate Zoning Administrator Robert Janovici, is to throw open debate over one of Southern California’s most divisive environmental issues during an election year.

Before the Board of Zoning Appeals makes up its mind, it will have to hold public hearings on the matter. That decision, in turn, will be subject to appeal to the California Coastal Commission. Four of the 12 members of the commission were appointed by Gov. George Deukmejian.

Bradley, a Democrat, and Deukmejian, a Republican, are expected to run against one another next year for governor, in a race in which a variety of environmental issues are likely to play an important role.

Bradley approved Occidental’s oil drilling application in January. But the matter could not leave the city’s jurisdiction until the city’s Office of Zoning Administration ruled on two matters: the appropriateness of Occidental’s proposed drilling methods and whether the project is consistent with the California Coastal Act.

After recommending additional safeguards, Associate Zoning Administrator Jack C. Sedwick gave his approval to Occidental’s proposed drilling plan.

Geological Instability

But Janovici found that the project would violate the coastal act by making the beach adjacent to the drill site less accessible and less desirable, and by posing an increased risk of geological instability in an area prone to landslides and earthquakes.