L.A. Wary of Bill Affecting Permit Powers

Los Angeles city officials have voiced reservations about a bill that would eliminate the city’s authority over coastal development permits for Union Pacific Resources Co. oil production facilities in Wilmington.

Under the measure, carried by Sen. Ralph C. Dills (D-Gardena), Union Pacific would need only to obtain a single permit from the state Coastal Commission, rather than permits from both the city and the state panel.

After a brief hearing Tuesday, the Senate Natural Resources Committee approved the bill 8-0 and sent it to the Appropriations Committee.

Although the City of Los Angeles has not taken a formal position on the proposal, several city officials this week raised questions about the measure. In an interview Thursday, Bernie Evans, an aide to City Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, said: “We’ll have to examine it. But it could set a precedent for other properties being exempted from local control.”

Recreation Plans

Karen Mills-Alston, a lobbyist for the city, said the bill “opens up the whole can of worms” by removing the city’s authority for coastal development permits, which are designed to ensure that land use is compatible with the state Coastal Act. But Mills-Alston said Union Pacific has agreed to negotiate with the city.

City officials are concerned that any change in Union Pacific’s status under the Coastal Act could affect plans the city has for recreation facilities on land just to the west of the property mentioned in the bill, which is near Anaheim Street and Henry Ford Avenue.

Evans said a recent planning report proposed using the adjacent land for a large maritime complex, possibly including an aquarium or commercial or office buildings. Also, Evans said, the bill could hamper efforts by the city to increase access to the waterfront for Wilmington residents.

Bill Amended

As originally proposed, the bill would have exempted Union Pacific’s Los Angeles Harbor-area industrial land from the jurisdiction of the Coastal Commission. But in the face of opposition from the Coastal Commission and the Sierra Club, Dills on Tuesday amended the bill to keep the area in the coastal zone but limit the city’s jurisdiction.

“This will provide a single-permit system and not exclude it from the coastal zone,” said Sen. Henry J. Mello (D-Watsonville), a member of the Natural Resources Committee. The bill would not affect the status of nearby Union Pacific property in Long Beach.

Officials with Union Pacific were unavailable for comment. However, a committee consultant said the firm sought to change the law because the existing dual permit requirements were costly and time-consuming. According to the committee analysis of the Dills bill, Union Pacific has been granted all six permits it has sought since 1973 to increase its level of oil production or other operations in Wilmington.

Paula Carrell, a lobbyist for the Sierra Club, suggested that Union Pacific found the permit process “was a pain in the neck” because it took time and consequently wanted to amend the law.

Carrell said she sympathizes with the company’s position. But she argued that Union Pacific could administratively ask the Coastal Commission to determine it needs a single permit, rather than ask the Legislature to amend the state law.