The Manhattan Beach City Council will consider passing a resolution early next year opposing proposed oil drilling in Hermosa Beach.
Residents urged the council to take up the issue at the last two December council meetings.
“As a resident of Manhattan Beach, I cannot vote on the measure in the city of Hermosa Beach,” said Craig Cadwallader, chair of the South Bay chapter of the Surfrider Foundation at the Dec. 16 meeting. “However, as a resident, I will be exposed to air pollution and traffic” created by oil drilling. “There also stands a very real chance of a spill.”
Betsy Ryan of Hermosa Beach, wearing a “Keep Hermosa Hermosa” T-shirt, said that she had gotten 100 signatures from Manhattan Beach residents on a petition opposing the oil drilling. The petition said in part, “An oil spill knows no city bounds. . . If Measure O passes, the residents of Manhattan Beach see no benefits and all the risk.”
The council flirted with the idea of passing such a resolution at the Dec. 16 meeting, with four of the five members saying they opposed the drilling. But ultimately, they decided to gather more information before issuing a final declaration.
They voted 5-0 to direct City Manager Mark Danaj to gather relevant information, including the ballot measure itself, and to draft a possible resolution. They also voted to publish a letter that city staff wrote at the request of the city of Hermosa Beach in response to the project’s Environmental Impact Report. The letter stated in part, “The potential impacts related to the transportation of hazardous substances including oil (prior to pipeline construction), drilling spoils, demolition debris and contaminated soil during the various project phases have not been adequately addressed.”
Councilmember Amy Howorth praised the residents for how they presented the issue and said that the chance of a spill was too great.
“I cannot stand by while we assume all the risk and none of the benefit,” said Howorth. “I’m willing to take a stand and say I’m opposed to it.”
Howorth made a motion to pass a resolution similar to that passed unanimously by the Santa Monica City Council on Dec. 9. Not enough of Howorth’s colleagues approved the motion, however.
Councilmember Tony D’Errico, the only member not to declare his opposition, said he needed more information.
“No one wants an oil spill in Santa Monica Bay,” he said. “Nobody wants to get hit by a meteor, either. Is the risk of oil finding its way into the Santa Monica Bay any more likely than us getting hit by a meteor or lighting? I don’t know. There’s tons of misinformation on both sides—propaganda, deception. I’d love to have a discussion with some informed facts.”
Councilmember David Lesser also said he wanted more information.
“As a resident, I’m opposed,” he said. “But sitting up here as a councilmember, I’m held up to a higher standard.”
Ultimately, Councilmember Mark Burton proposed the motion to get more info, draft a new resolution and publish the city’s letter on its website.
