In his campaign to win Yvonne Brathwaite Burke’s seat on the County Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 4 election and in his role as an elected official, state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City) today submitted a lengthy chronology intended to demonstrate how he has taken the initiative in leading the community during the ongoing oil drilling controversy.
Sen. Ridley-Thomas traces his direct involvement back to a year and a half ago when the flap was warming up over the plans of Plains, Exploration & Production Co. to heavily increase the scope of its drilling.
Ever since an overnight gas leak from the field 2 1/2 years ago, Culver Crest area residents have argued strenuously with County and state officials for greater safety regulations.
The latest regulation documents are scheduled to be voted on a week from Wednesday, on Sept. 10, by the County Regional Planning Commission, but signs are the vote will be postponed.
Sen. Ridley Thomas’s chronology:
June 2006 – The County Board of Supervisors adopts Original Interim Ordinance (Moratorium) for an initial period of 45 days.
March 3, 2007 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas meets with the 26th Senate District Empowerment Congress Leadership Council to inform them of the Inglewood/Baldwin Hills oil expansion and residents’ related concerns.
March 5, 2007 – Plains Exploration & Production, PXP, applies to establish Community Standards District for the Inglewood Oil Field in the Baldwin Hills/Culver City region.
March 7, 2007 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas speaks with Culver City News reporter Gary Walker in an interview about the growing concerns of Culver Crest Homeowner Assn. residents surrounding gas emissions and ground subsidence related to the current PXP oil drilling and planned expansion.
March 10, 2007 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas meets with the Executive Committee of the 26th Senate District Empowerment Congress to inform them of the Culver Crest residents’ concerns, and to enlist the Empowerment Congress’s assistance in the organizing of a community empowerment summit on the issue.
May 22, 2007 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ staff meets with David McNeil, Executive Officer of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, to discuss plans for creating a coalition to educate the community on the PXP expansion issue, and to ensure that the Baldwin Hills Park Master Plan would remain in the forefront of any future plans for the region.
May 29, 2007 – County Board of Supervisors adds language placing all new wells and the deepening of existing wells on a one year moratorium.
June 5, 2007 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ office hosts the first Environment, Health, and Community Study Kick-off Meeting to plan for a community education and empowerment summit on the subject of the PXP oil wells expansion in the Baldwin Hills/Culver City region.
June 12, 2007 – Community Health Councils hosts the second planning meeting for the summit and assumes the role of coordinating agency for the summit. Coordinating partners include the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, The City Project, the 26th Senate District Empowerment Congress, and the Friends of the Baldwin Hills.
June 19–July 19, 2007 – Committee continues to plan for the Community Empowerment Summit, adding the 47th Assembly District People’s Council Environmental Commission, Mujeres De La Tierra, the Crenshaw High Eco Club and the Sierra Club as partners.
July 6, 2007 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas sends letters to personally invite subject experts and key state and local government agency representatives to give presentations to the community on the various issues related to the PXP expansion. Invitees include: State of California Dept. of Conservation – Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, known commonly as DOGGR; State Dept. of Toxic Substances Control; California Regional Water Quality Control Board; South Coast Air Quality Management District; Los Angeles County Dept. of Planning; City of Los Angeles Planning Dept.; Los Angeles County Public Works; and Assembly Member Karen Bass (D-Culver City).
July 21, 2007 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas, Assembly Member Karen Bass and the newly formed coalition of community partners for environmental health convene the Baldwin Hills Environment, Health, and Planning Empowerment Summit at West Los Angeles College. Approximately 90 community members attend.
August 2007 – County Planning Dept. indicates to Board of Supervisors that additional time will be required for preparation of the Draft EIR. The original plan called for release of DEIR in September 2007, with public hearings to follow in October and November 2007.
Aug. 19, 2007 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ staff and planning partners from the July 21 Empowerment Summit begin discussing plans for a “Baldwin Hills Working Group,” which would draft community-driven comments for inclusion in the impending EIR and CSD.
September 2007–March 2008 – The “Baldwin Hills Working Group” continues to meet while convening public education forums, setting goals and benchmarks for the ultimate writing of the group’s own CSD.
Feb. 7, 2008 – Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-West Los Angeles) introduces SB 1165, legislation that would make available to the public early drafts of environmental impact reports typically available to developers only. The bill would require additional review and public comment for any environmental impact report more than five years old.
Feb. 15, 2008 – PXP submits draft CSD.
March 12, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas recaps his active involvement in the PXP oil field expansion issue dating back to March 2007, as he addressed the Ladera Civic Assn. during a Candidate Debate at Knox Presbyterian Church.
May 2008 – The Baldwin Hills Working Group is officially renamed “The Greater Baldwin Hills Alliance,” bringing Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ Empowerment Summit objectives for widespread community participation to greater fruition. New members continue to join each month, including representatives from the UCLA School of Public Policy, United Homeowners of Windsor Hills/View Park, Mujeres Del La Tierra and representatives from the City of Los Angeles.
May 29, 2008* – Sen. Ridley-Thomas casts vote in favor of SB 1165 on the floor of the State Senate.
June 19, 2008* – Draft EIR is released triggering the 60-day public comment period. Greater Baldwin Hills Alliance, GBHA, holds press conference at Kenneth Hahn State Park announcing the Alliance’s own version of a Community Standards District, CSD. Sen. Ridley-Thomas publicly congratulates the Alliance for their efforts, citing the GBHA version of the CSD as “quintessential community empowerment in action.”
June 2008 through July 2008 – County Regional Planning Dept. hosts a number of EIR Workshops to help educate the community. Sen. Ridley-Thomas and/or representatives attended every single workshop.
June 26, 2008 – Original Interim Ordinance/Moratorium expires.
July 1, 2008 – PXP agrees to abide by Interim Ordinance regulations after they expire until Oct. 21, 2008.
July 10, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas attends a discussion session with Draft EIR author, Jon Pierson, at a residence in Culver Crest, and addresses attendees directly on the issues.
July 14, 2008* – Sen. Ridley-Thomas staff attends City Council meeting in Culver City, where the official city response to the EIR is discussed.
July 17, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas attends the County Planning Dept.’s Draft EIR Community Workshop held at the Vet’s Auditorium. He makes pledge to address state agencies directly to affect stronger participation in DEIR and CSD development on their parts.
July 18, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ staff attends the Baldwin Hills Conservancy meeting regarding Baldwin Hills Oil Field.
July 19, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ staff attends a community roundtable discussion on oil field expansion, hosted by syndicated columnist Earl Ofari Hutchinson at the Lucy Florence Coffeehouse in Leimert Park. Staff reports on the Senator’s ongoing efforts to increase involvement of relevant state agencies in the Draft EIR review and comment process, as well as the development of the CSD.
July 25, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas holds meeting with Windsor Hills residents to review the legislative history of the Baldwin Hills State Recreation General Plan and to explore possible state legislative recourse.
July 28, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas sends official recommendation to Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke’s office to extend the public comment period on the EIR for an additional 30 days.
July 29, 2008* – Sen. Ridley-Thomas receives response from Supervisor Burke in which she concludes that further extension of the public comment period is unnecessary and restates her stance that the 60 -ay review period is satisfactory.
July 30, 2008* – Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ staff attends Greater Baldwin Hills Alliance meeting, at which they announce a July 31 tour of PXP oil field, and invite members to a roundtable following the tour.
July 31, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas takes tour of Inglewood Oil Field with Empowerment Congress, community stakeholders from surrounding neighborhoods, and a representative from South Coast Air Quality Management District, one of the state agencies responsible for monitoring the Inglewood Oil Field. Following the tour, Sen. Ridley-Thomas hosts a roundtable with community stakeholders and a representative from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the state agency responsible for monitoring soil contaminants and the oil field’s impact on the region’s water supply.
Aug. 2, 2008 – Senator Ridley-Thomas testifies at the County Planning Commission hearing held at West Los Angeles College in which he encourages the Planning Commission to join him in urging Supervisor Burke to extend the public comment period.
Aug. 4-15, 2008 – A number of government agencies and elected officials follow Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ lead in calling for an extension of the EIR public comment period. Among those submitting formal written request are Congresswoman Diane Watson, the California Dept. of Conservation, and the LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety. The City Council of Culver City publicly expresses its concurrence with the Senator’s call for an EIR public comment extension.
Aug. 13, 2008* – Sen. Ridley-Thomas staff attends City Council hearing in Culver City on the Inglewood Oil Field.
Aug. 14, 2008 – Sen. Ridley-Thomas attends the second County Planning Commission hearing regarding the Inglewood Oil Field held at the Consolidated Board of Realtors.
Aug. 18, 2008 – From his Capitol office, Sen. Ridley-Thomas hosts phone conference between the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, DOGGR —the state agency responsible for approving well operations—involving members of the Greater Baldwin Hills Alliance, and David McNeil, Executive Officer of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy.
Aug. 27, 2008* – Sen. Ridley-Thomas’ staff attended the County Planning Commission hearing regarding Inglewood Oil Field. Meanwhile, the Senator continues to represent the region in state budget talks at the Capitol.
( * denotes dates on which the Senator was in Floor Session and/or Committee Hearings in the Capitol.)
