Fossil Fuel Phase-Out for the City of Los Angeles!

On Tuesday, December 1st, 2020, after nearly 5 years of grassroots advocacy led by local residents and environmental justice champions in the STAND-LA coalition, the Los Angeles City Council Committee on Energy, Climate Change & Environmental Justice unanimously voted to pass a motion directing the City Attorney to draft an ordinance declaring oil and gas extraction sites non-conforming land uses within the City of Los Angeles. The motion also advises the City Planning Department to report back on the necessary budget and staff requirements to address oil wells in residential neighborhoods, including hiring an expert to complete an amortization study.

During the hearing, Councilmembers also echoed advocates’ calls for ​the creation of a robust workforce development program to support hard-working Angelenos in the energy sector with good-paying, unionized jobs that will help co-create a just transition away from fossil fuels. The motion will now have to be voted on by the full City Council at a later date.

Partner groups in the STAND-LA​ Coalition collaborating on this campaign include Physicians for Social Responsibility​, F​ood & Water Action,​ ​Center for Biological Diversity,​ ​Sierra Club​, and NRDC.

Surfrider LA activations to date:

●  Letters to Los Angeles City Council submitted on behalf of chapter

●  Direct action alerts through newsletter and social media for member +

supporter comment letters and phone calls to City Councilmembers

●  Public testimony from SFLA activists at meetings of the Energy,

Climate Change & Environmental Justice Committee in support of:

○  2500-foot human health and safety setbacks between oil and gas

operations and sensitive receptors, and;

○  A City declaration of non-conforming land use for oil and gas

infrastructure within the City of Los Angeles