Re “Backers Hope to Hold Fracking Symposium in Council Chambers on Aug. 4”
The most fascinating question for Monday evening’s City Council meeting:
Should a coalition of anti-fracking groups be permitted to use Council Chambers on Saturday morning, Aug. 4, for a symposium – presumably but not necessarily – that would include the oil company PXP, the target of the activists’ weeks of fury?
Responding to the request that activist Tom Camarella posed at last Monday’s Council meeting is far more complex than, “Sure, guys, drop on by. We won’t be using the space that day.”
The outcome probably will be rooted in the bowels of one of City Hall’s most obscure policies:
Who may borrow the august sanctuary? Under what conditions?
The First Aboard
Mr. Camarella identified the Sierra Club and Transition Culver City as the co-sponsors with the League of Women Voters monitoring the event, tentatively scheduled to start a three-hour run at 9:30 a.m.
The Council’s reaction to Mr. Camarella was not to say, “Come on down,” but, rather, to agendize an examination of the plea at its next meeting.
Perhaps the most delicate factor in the Council’s mulling is:
Will there be an Other Side present?
Will Plains Exploration & Production Co., PXP, the major domo of the Baldwin Hills Oil Field for the last decade, consent to step into a strongly adversarial environment?
As of early this afternoon, Mr. Camarella was awaiting a confirmation of his invitation. Meanwhile, skeptics wagged their tongues and their fingers, asserting that a favorable response was not likely.
With Mehaul O’Leary out of the country, each Council member’s vote will be weightier than before.
Warming up to an anticipated yes vote, Meghan Sahli-Wells said that “it is important for people to have as much information as possible about fracking and to be able to give input.
“All affairs of the city, but particularly this one, can potentially have a huge effect on the region. It is great whenever we can have Council Chambers as a forum for a discussion that is positive. The fact it is going to be moderated by the League of Women Voters is really positive.
“They are such a wonderful organization that really knows how to engage dialogue. They will make sure everyone is getting heard so we can really explore this very important issue.
Clarke Weighs in Cautiously
“There is so much interest in the topic of fracking, definitely among Culver City residents, but also beyond.
“It is great that community groups are doing outreach and education,” Ms. Sahli-Wells said. “I know people want to know more about fracking.
“I am looking forward to reading the (not yet released) staff report. I don’t know details about the symposium, but from the little I have heard, it sounds positive.”
Councilman Jim Clarke said this afternoon that while he believes his colleagues on the dais are generically supportive of a symposium, billed as informational, City Hall policies may prevent approval. “If that is the case,” Mr. Clarke said, “I will encourage Tom (Camarella) to find another location.” He mentioned West Los Angeles College.
Via the City Attorney’s office, here is the formal policy of City Hall regarding outside groups’ usage of Council Chambers:
“The Council Chambers is to be used for the conduct of City Council meetings, other city meetings, (such as Planning Commission meetings), public candidate forums and for meetings of other public agencies and officials.”
City Hall sources indicated today that would seem to exclude the applicants. Could the Council find a way to override the policy? City sponsorship is a longshot possibility because of a sticky financial stipulation. If the Council assents, would that open the floodgates for other organizations to turn to Council Chambers as a regular venue, possibly leading to clashes when applicants are rejected?
