Hermosa Beach residents debate oil drilling measure

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Hermosa Beach residents are sounding off on a controversial ballot measure that would allow an oil company to drill in the bay.

Betsy Ryan and her friends started a mural campaign on the back wall of her home to get the word out to fight a proposal to set up wells in Hermosa Beach to drill for oil in the Santa Monica Bay.

"It's not safe, it's not right, and it's not healthy and we need to protect the Santa Monica Bay," said Betsy Ryan of Hermosa Beach.

Ryan said since they starting the mural campaign in mid-August, they've gotten a lot of signatures and they plan to get a lot more.

According to Ryan, dozens of residents have signed the mural saying no to Measure O. The measure would allow E&B Natural Resources Management Corp. to drill for oil in the bay. The city signed off on the project. Now, the proposal goes to voters on the March 3 ballot.

"Hermosa Beach is a 1.3-mile square town, and the idea of putting 30 oil wells and four waste water injection wells in the middle of one of the most densely packed beach communities in America is just a really bad idea," said Mike Collins, co-founder of Keep Hermosa Hermosa.

Lori Armendariz is one of many residents with signs in her front yard supporting Measure O.

"I am totally in support of Measure O," Armendariz said. "This project is the biggest and the best thing that has come to Hermosa Beach for as long as I can remember."

"The city's recent report shows that this could be over $500 million for the city and over $50 million for schools. The project is safe," said Amy Roth, a spokesperson for E&B.

Roth said the project is a financial windfall for the city over the 35-year life of the drilling project if approved by voters.

She said the project comes with numerous safe guards preventing any oil spills, oil seeping or vapors from escaping the wells. She also said the drills would be placed onshore at the Hermosa Maintenance yard and drilling would be nearly 2,000 feet under the ocean floor.

If the measure is approved by voters, it would take about two years to get the project up and running.