Firefighters lay hoses to protect homes from an oil well fire in Santa Fe Springs in 1928. “Oil, motion pictures and real estate were like the trifecta of forces that were attracting migrants to come west to L.A.,” said Becky Nicolaides, a research affiliate at USC and UCLA. “A lot of the people came to Los Angeles during the big …
The Allenco drill site in University Park, shown in 2019. Councilman Paul Krekorian said that L.A. would not face costly liability if the phaseout included a “reasonable amortization period.” The California Independent Petroleum Assn., which represents oil producers, has insisted such a move would still be “an illegal taking.” As city officials weigh that plan, the petroleum office has shrunk …
A reciprocating piston pump, commonly known as a pumpjack or rocking horse, pulls oil from the ground in a Wilmington neighborhood. Los Angeles has had a “lax and reactive” approach to checking to see if oil and gas drilling sites are operating in line with city conditions, City Controller Ron Galperin said in a new report Wednesday that calls on …
