C-8 Correspondence – Brady Bradshaw
From: Brady Bradshaw [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 8:55 AM
To: Tom Modica <[email protected]>
Cc: Mayor <[email protected]>; Council District 1 <[email protected]>; Council District 2 <[email protected]>; Council District 3 <[email protected]>; Council District 4 <[email protected]>; Council District 5 <[email protected]>; Council District 6 <[email protected]>; Council District 7 <[email protected]>; Council District 8 <[email protected]>; Council District 9 <[email protected]>; Dawn McIntosh <[email protected]>; CityClerk <[email protected]>; Nicole Levin <[email protected]>
Subject: Support for Health and Safety Buffer Zones
-EXTERNAL-
Dear Mr. Modica,
Please find the attached letter from 14 organizations representing membership in Long Beach in support of 2022 Senate Bill 1137. We request your office’s support for, and cooperation with, necessary 3200- foot health and safety buffer zones for the Long Beach community.
All the best,
Brady Bradshaw (he/el)
Senior Oceans Campaigner
Center for Biological Diversity
Living and working from sacred Chumash and Tongva lands
March21,2023
TomModica,CityManager411W. OceanBlvd.LongBeach,CA90802
Re:SupportofSetbacksinLongBeach
DearMr. Modica,
We,theundersignedorganizationswithmembershipandconstituentsinLongBeach–thetraditionalhomelandsoftheAcjachemenandTongvaPeoples– arewritinginsupportofSenateBill1137(SB1137)andsetbacksbetweenoilandgaswellsandsensitivesites.Wearedeeplydisappointedtoseeyouroffice’slettertoGovernorNewsomindefianceofSB1137 1 . Thispositionunderminescriticalhealthandsafetyprotectionzonesforyourconstituents.Furthermore,theCityCouncildidnotformallyapprovethisletter.
Thisstancerunscontrarytowell-establishedscienceandfailsto accuratelyrepresentthevoicesoftheLongBeachcommunity. WeencourageyoutoretractyourstatementsonSB1137andprohibitnewoildrillingandreworkpermitswithinthe3,200footsetbackzonewhileweawaittheresultsofthereferendum.Furthermore,weencourageyourofficetoidentifyalternativesourcesofrevenuetocoverthecostofcleaningupoilwellsandensureajusttransitionforimpactedworkers. 1 https://www.longbeach.gov/globalassets/city-manager/media-library/documents/government-affairs/position-letters---state/2021-2022/letter-to-governor-newsom-expressing-concerns-for-senate-bill-1137--gonzalez-and-limon-oil-and-gas.
TheReferendumProcessUnderminesDemocracyandAllowstheIndustrytoBuyTheirWayoutofRegulation Asyouknow, lastSeptemberthestatelegislaturepassedSB1137,ahistoricandlongoverduebillthatprohibitsnewoildrillingwithin3,200feetofhomes,schools,hospitalsandothersensitivesites.
Theoilindustryspentover20milliondollarstooverturnthislawwithareferendumwhichwillgototheballotin2024,delayingtheselongoverduehealthprotections.Throughoutthestate,therehavebeennumerousdocumentedaccountsofpetitionersmisleadingvoterswhilecollectingsignaturesforthereferendum. 2 Infact,theLATimesreportedcanvassersfabricatingmisinformationtovotersthatthereferendumwouldbannewoildrillingwithinsetbacks. 3 ThousandsofResidentsinLongBeachLiveTooClosetoOilDrillingOperations NeighborhoodoildrillingexposesLongBeachresidentstotoxicchemicalsandsmog-forminggasses,whichcancauserespiratoryillness,cardiovasculardisease,leukemia,lymphoma,lungcancer, nervoussystemdamage,reproductiveandendocrinedisruption,birthdefects,andprematuredeath.Neighborsadjacenttourbanoildrillingsufferthemostfromthesehealtheffects.Evenonceawellisnolongeractive,itcancontinuetoleakoil,methane,andothergasses,leavingnearbycommunitiesatcontinuedrisk.
Anestimated140,138LongBeachresidentslivewithin3,200feetofanoperationaloilandgaswellwithinthecitylimits.Thisamountstoabout30.2%ofthepopulation.Ofthose,101,498(72.4%)arepeopleofcolor.
Communitiesofcolorandlow-incomehouseholdsaremostaffectedbyneighborhoodoildrilling.Manyneighborhoodswithurbanoildrillingoperationsarecurrentlyexposedtootherenvironmentalhazardsandpollution,suchasheavytransportationcorridorsandportoperations.
Thestanceonsetbacksascurrentlysetbyyourofficeisallowingfortheexpansionofanalreadycatastrophicpublichealthcrisis.Andasevidencedbytheseorganizationswhohavesignedon,itdoesnotrepresentthestanceofthepeopleyourepresent. 3 https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-02-07/oil-drilling-referendum-qualified 2 https://www.kvpr.org/local-news/2022-12-30/why-an-oil-industrys-signature-gathering-effort-is-seen-as-misleading Insteadofusingcityresourcesfightingtheseoverduehealthandsafetyprotections,weurgeyoutouseyourtimeandresourcestoidentifyalternativerevenuesourcestofundoilwellcleanupandworkwithimpactedworkersandcommunitymemberstoenableajusttransition.
Thankyouforconsideringourcomments.
Signed,
NicoleLevin- Campaigner, SierraClubDirtyFuelsNancyWoo- HubCoordinator, SunriseLongBeachBradyBradshaw- Campaigner, CenterforBiologicalDiversityTinaCalderon- Director, SacredGrounds™JeanninePearce- CEO,FierceCourageJeanninePearce- Convener, TheClimateCouncilCharlesMiller- Chair, LosAngelesClimateRealityProjectJanVictorAndasan- CommunityOrganizer, EastYardCommunitiesforEnvironmentalJusticeBillSive- WestCoastCoordinator, Queers4ClimateKarenReside- ExecutiveDirector, LongBeachGreyPanthersEllieCohen- ExecutiveDirector, TheClimateCenterMaroKakoussian- ClimateJusticeOrganizingManager, PhysiciansforSocialResponsibilityKobiNaseck- CoalitionCoordinator, VoicesinSolidarityAgainstOilinNeighborhoods(VISIÓN)PaulinaTorres-Staff Attorney, NaturalResourcesDefenseCouncil