If you think it is difficult writing a story about a community meeting where news was promised but only a dribble came out of the snug tube of toothpaste, imagine the plight of the lawyer Ken Kutcher of Santa Monica and Culver Crest. Long after the burning fires had been extinguished from last Wednesday night’s community meeting where the host, County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, had promised an update on settlement negotiations over regulations for the Baldwin Hills oil field, Mr. Kutcher still was sorting out his reactions.
After a stormy first update meeting in late January, this one was to be a panacea for the many competing interests of the thousands of residents near the drilling site.
Did the Supervisor’s assembly at the Vets Auditorium work?
“There were parts that worked well and parts that didn’t,” said Mr. Kutcher, who not only resides within range of the field but represents one-quarter of the plaintiffs who have sued PXP, the oil drilling company, and the County over regulations deemed too liberal.
“I am pleased we have the Supervisor’s attention. He has devoted a significant amount of staff time to members of the public while soliciting their input.
A Marked Upgrade
“He also is articulating a conviction about trying to settle the litigation (mediation talks began at 10 o’clock this morning). I agree with his assessment that this is in everybody’s interest. My caveat to that is that it is in everyone’s interest if the settlement outcome is an appropriate one.
“It seems easy to make, but it depends on the particulars.”
Although the mood at Mr. Ridley-Thomas’s meeting seemed to be that “settlement equals victory,” Mr. Kutcher was cautious. “We won’t know that,” he said, “until a) it settles and b) we know what the terms are.
“The hard work won’t be done in any of the public forums. It will be done in the mediation session. Then we will have to see where we are.
“One shortcoming of the meeting was PXP’s lack of participation. Their ombudsperson was there, but she didn’t say anything. I don’t know if she planned to participate or if PXP was approached by the County. That was one of several serious shortcomings of the meeting.”
Was the Aim Misguided?
Mr. Kutcher said the tone and composition of the meeting leaned heavily in a single direction — the County, not toward the many dissatisfied residents.
“The Supervisor or his staff arranged the meeting,” he said. “They set the agenda, they figured out how they were doing questions, they figured out who was going to be on the panel discussion.
“If they had done some outreach, instead, with community leaders, it would have been better. I would have been happy to give them ideas.
“They get to make the decisions, though. It is their event. But I would have been happy to engage with them about the forum and speakers.
“The meeting fell short of what it could have been because there was not that involvement in advance. We didn’t find out what they were going to do until we got there.”
Mr. Kutcher was asked if it was a well invested evening?
“Anytime you have an opportunity to dialogue with stakeholders of the County, there is major value in that,” he said.
“Finally, I think there were three plusses that made this meeting better than the one in January. There was an improvement in tone, in outreach and an increased attempt at dialogue.”
Mr. Kutcher said Mr. Ridley-Thomas was stronger last week than at January’s meeting.
“The Supervisor was much more protective of the community interests this time,” the attorney said. “At the end of the Community Advisory Panel meeting in January, he got toward that point. But he didn’t get there. That gets to his tone, which was much better.
“I didn’t feel the blame game pointed at petitioners this time. He was much more sensitive to providing balance. That is a self-interested perspective. I was interested in how that felt, and it certainly felt better.”
Mr. Kutcher judged the Supervisor genuinely became himself and returned to his regular personality halfway through the meeting when he removed his suit jacket.
