The City Council, after much debate, finally voted Tuesday night to begin a several-year community input program that will begin in mid-July. The council also voted to hire a consulting company to prepare an Environmental Impact Report for the proposed E&B oil production project at a cost of $794,665.
“Hermosa 2020 & Beyond: A Community Dialogue,” will be a comprehensive series of civic forums, meetings and other activities to inform and involve residents in the decision-making process for upcoming projects and shape the city’s general plan. Potential E&B oil drilling at the city’s maintenance yard will be discussed, as well as a potential redesign of the Civic Center and downtown and a revision of the city’s general plan.
“We’ll be talking about what we like about Hermosa Beach, what we want to change, and everything in the broader context,” said City Manager Tom Bakaly in an interview last week. “The key thing is that it’s something that the community defines and is run by the community.”
The series of forums will kick of on July 13 at the Civic Center and will give residents an opportunity to discuss their values and priorities for the city. It will also finally open the door to additional discussion about the oil project and allow residents the opportunity to question all parties involved, including the opportunity for residents to ask questions about the oil project.
“There’s an incredible resource in the city’s residents that we haven’t tapped,” Bakaly said. “We’re going to use every opportunity for the community to be engaged. It’s the perfect time to do it and a chance for us to define who we are…Everybody’s here in Hermosa by choice – we’re all here ‘cause we wanna be here.”
The council has collectively declared its neutrality regarding the potential oil drilling.
“Some people could have already found enough information to make up their mind; I totally value that,” said council member Michael DiVirgilio. “Its not for anybody to say when you make up your mind but as an elected official who I believe has an obligation to hear all of the details all the way until the decision is made…We felt that it was best to remain neutral in a sense of not taking sides. I’m totally committed to whatever the project does. It’s the best possible project if the community collectively gets to weigh in on this problem that’s lasted frankly 30 years.”
The company the council chose to review the EIR was decided after an extensive interview process that started with 18 different consulting firms and was eventually whittled to four. Marine Research Specialists (MRS), a company based in Ventura and not affiliated with E&B Natural Resources, was the final contender because of the company’s experience with oil and gas production as well as knowledge of such production in an urban setting.
“The fact that the public is the decision maker shifts the whole dynamic here,” said Ed Almanza, the city’s community development department project manager. “Where instead of being an audience and indirect critic of the project that comes to the city council to see what city council does with the project, the public receives documents and accepts documents. We’re hoping the public is engaged and uses some of these documents.”
Almanza, the man in charge of managing the EIR process, said that the city was looking for a small, responsive firm that had the appropriate expertise. Almanza examined past projects MRS was involved in and was satisfied with his reviews.
“This is the start to the process to get the end result that everyone in this room is looking for,” said council member Peter Tucker. ER
