Isn't it ironic?
The City Council has spent well over a million dollars on lawyer fees battling local oil company PXP to finally come up with a settlement regarding the Baldwin Hills oil field.
Although I enthusiastically supported the concessions made by PXP, I felt they could have come to the same settlement had they had dialogue and not lawyered up.
This same City Council, so fearless in spending our tax money to battle the local PXP oil company, was deadly silent when I suggested that they endorse the Prop. 1481 Tax on California Oil, Revenues to Education Initiative Statute at last night’s Council meeting.
Prop. 1481 would impose a 15 percent tax on the value of each barrel of oil extracted in California and allocate roughly $3 billion of tax revenues that would be used exclusively for our education system.
The oil companies would not be allowed to pass the tax to consumers, nor would the legislature be allowed to transfer the money to the general fund.
The Culver City Democratic Club passed a similar resolution calling for a windfall profits tax on oil companies statewide with money going to our schools.
Why can't our City Council step up to the plate and do the same thing?
Mr. Zirgulis may be contacted at zirgulisr@yahoo.com
