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Supervisors direct work on health protections and 'just transition' as county phases out urban oil drilling
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a motion to identify gaps in health and safety protections during the phase-out of urban oil drilling, reconvene a just-transition task force, and develop policies for remediation and worker transition; the vote was 5-0.
Los Angeles County supervisors voted unanimously May 13 to deepen planning around the phase-out of urban oil drilling and to develop health protections for communities that continue to live near active wells.
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell framed the motion as a response to decades of research linking oil operations to health harms and to recent studies the county released showing higher preterm birth rates among residents downwind of the Inglewood oil field. The motion directs county departments to identify gaps in current protections, recommend new public-notification and emergency-response measures, and reconvene a just-transition task force to plan remediation and workforce retraining.
"There are short term and long term health impacts associated with living near active and inactive oil fields," Mitchell said, summarizing public health findings. She asked the county to prepare a labor-market assessment, enforcement recommendations, and remediation strategies for former well sites.
Public-health staff and outside groups urged stronger action. Dr. Rita Galay (Department of Public Health) described the department's 2024 Baldwin Hills health assessment and recommended community health and safety plans, improved public notification, and routine oversight into operator compliance. Community advocates pressed for restrictions on "acidizing" and other well maintenance practices that use concentrated chemicals.
The motion also called for a renewed focus on workers: the county will commission a labor-market assessment to map likely job losses and retraining pathways, and the Department of Economic Opportunity will be involved in designing transition programs.
The board approved the motion 5-0. The item directs departments including Public Health, the Chief Sustainability Office, DEO, and the Department of Regional Planning to report back with recommendations and to include labor and community stakeholders in the next phase of the just-transition task force.
Ending: Supervisors said the board will continue to use its local authority and planning tools to reduce risks to frontline communities while preparing concrete steps to reuse and remediate former oil sites and support workers whose jobs are affected.
