Culver Crest Neighborhood Association

The Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning released their revised Community Standards District (CSD) document. Public comment is seemingly not solicited, as there is a cover letter that recommends it be adopted by the Planning Commission.

… then this message is for you.

August 2 is D-day!

This is the day on which we decide to go to the beach, or show up at noon at West L.A. College’s Theatre to speak to L.A. County Regional Planning Commissioners to let them know that we do not want PXP Oil Company to turn Culver City into a Cancer Zone.  We must show that we are a force to be heard and to not just let PXP bowl over the County with its proposed plan.

PXP, the oil company operating in the Baldwin Hills oil fields, is proposing to drill an additional 1000 wells and continue to operation the current 436, plus reactivate a good portion of the 600 dormant wells on their property.   Do you want 2,000 wells pumping 24/7 in our “backyards”?  

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and regulations PXP is proposing would make it legal to drill with 500 feet from your home, hospital, health or educational facility.   It contends that it is okay to drill within 50 feet of an active earthquake fault zone.  If there is an escape of toxic fumes (which has occurred in the past), it could encompass most if not all of Culver City.  PXP’s current operating standards are for the most part antiquated yet there has been little or no testing of many of their practices.  They are too numerous to list here but we are challenging them all.  Please visit our website at www.culvercrest.org for more information on this issue.

More startling, if this EIR is approved by the County, it sets PXP’s operating standards for the next 20 years.  We would be powerless to make any adjustments short of a disaster, at which time it would be too late. 

Is this what you want to expose yourself, your children and family to?  If not, it is urgent that all of us attend the noon on Saturday, August 2nd meeting at WLAC and bring all of your concerned neighbors!

We must speak up now!

There will be signs directing you to the auditorium once you’re on campus.

Thanking you in advance for your participation.

The Board of the Culver Crest Neighborhood Association.

Here is information from the County regarding how to submit comments about the Draft EIR and CSD:

The Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Community Standards District (CSD) are available for review and comment until August 19, 2008.  Please see the information below on how you can submit your comments.

Hardcopies of the Draft EIR are located at View Park Library, 3854 West 54th St. Los Angeles and Culver City Julian Dixon Library, 4975 Overland Ave, Culver City, as well as in PDF format online at the two links above.

Submit your written comments by August 19, 2008 to one of the addresses below.  You can email your comments to either of the individuals below or to commplan@planning.lacounty.gov and they will be promptly forwarded to the appropriate party. If you email in comments, we recommend sending a cc: via snail mail.

Comments on the Draft EIR should be directed to: 

Paul McCarthy
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning
Impact Analysis, Hall of Records
320 W. Temple Street, Rm. 1348
Los Angeles, CA 90012
pmccarthy@planning.lacounty.gov
 
Comments on the applicant proposed Community Standards District should be directed to:

Russell J. Fricano
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning
Community Studies I, Hall of Records
320 W. Temple Street, Rm. 1340
Los Angeles, CA 90012
rfricano@planning.lacounty.gov

To submit comments on both the Draft EIR and proposed CSD or to learn more about the project, please visit: http://planning.lacounty.gov/baldwinhillscsd

Note: the CSD in question is the one by PXP, not ours, i.e. they’re taking comments on the official one. The comments could of course be: “use ours!”