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Council adopts oil-drilling ordinance after years of advocacy
Summary
The City Council adopted an ordinance aimed at curbing neighborhood oil drilling (item 17) after supporters said it protects community health; the clerk recorded 14 votes in favor on the measure.
The Los Angeles City Council voted on June 23 to adopt an ordinance intended to limit or remove certain neighborhood oil‑drilling operations, a measure supporters said was the product of years of community organizing and legal work.
Councilmember Yaroslovski (as recorded in the meeting) framed the vote as a culmination of a decade-long effort to protect communities from the health effects of nearby drilling. "Protecting health, community and the environment is a priority," the councilmember said during remarks supporting the ordinance.
Several councilmembers and dozens of community members who testified during public comment urged the Council to act. Supporters cited neighborhood health impacts and pointed to past determinations and environmental documents prepared by Planning and city staff. The clerk announced the final tally on the record as 14 votes in favor.
Why it matters: Advocates told the Council that local authority and ordinance language are necessary tools to limit the impacts of oil operations on neighborhoods, particularly in historically overburdened communities.
What happens next: The ordinance was adopted on the Council floor and the clerk recorded the vote; the transcript does not include implementation dates, timelines for permit revocations, or subsequent administrative steps in the public audio record.
Key voices: Councilmember Yaroslovski spoke in favor of the ordinance and thanked planning staff and community coalitions; Councilmember Nazaria and others echoed support.
