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The first good news received in Liberty Hill's new office was on our first day in the new space!
On July 5, an agreement was reached by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors that resolved four lawsuits filed in November 2008 by Community Health Councils, Inc. (CHC) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the City of Culver City, Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles, and the Citizen’s Coalition for a Safe Community.
The lawsuits challenged an initial County decision in 2008 to allow expanded oil and gas drilling in oil fields near Baldwin Hills area residential neighborhoods without additional public hearings or environmental review, in spite of community concern over incidents such as a 2006 emission of gas fumes that caused evacuations and affected more than 500 homes.
The agreement strengthens health and safety protections for thousands of residents who are affected by drilling operations.The settlement reduces the amount of drilling at new wells, increases air quality monitering, sets more stringent noise limits and mandates recurring health and environmental justice assessments.
In a letter to Liberty Hill, Robert Garcia, president and counsel of The City Project, which represents CCSCLA, notes, "The settlement explicitly recognizes that the civil rights laws -- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California Government Code 11135, which prohibit intentional discrimination and discriminatory impacts -- apply to protect human health and the environment in the Baldwin Hills oil field and surrounding park and communities."
Some of the early work on this effort was funded by Liberty Hill. In May 2008, Liberty Hill provided a $5,000 Special Opportunity Fund grant to Community Health Councils (CHC) to support community organizing and education efforts in Baldwin Hills to effect the development and adoption of a Community Standards District for the Baldwin Hills oil drilling area. CHC collaborated with a number of neighborhood organizations, environmental groups, and The City Project.
This was followed up with another $5,000 SOF grant to CHC in October 2008, to support outreach and education work as part of the Greater Baldwin Hills Alliance Campaign for a Clean and Green Oil Field. As part of this campaign, Community Health Councils educated residents regarding the state and county land use and environmental regulatory process and the relationship between urban oil drilling. CHC developed and provided information to the public on the public review process, regulatory authority of state and local public agencies, and the role and rights of citizens in the CEQA process.
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