Greuel again calls on opponent to end oil lease that allows drilling under local high school
Los Angeles, CA — Today Wendy Greuel’s campaign questioned why Eric Garcetti refused to revoke his 20-year lease with an oil drilling company drilling under a local high school, instead abdicating his responsibility and turning over his lease to a campaign donor.
Amid questions about Venoco Oil’s record of health issues and an LA Times investigation revealing Garcetti’s failure to disclose his relationship with the company, pressure has been mounting on Garcetti to revoke his lease with Venoco. The company could begin drilling under Beverly Hills High School to his Beverly Hills property at any time. Last week, famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich last week called the relationship “reprehensible.”
Garcetti’s quiet lease transfer does nothing to stop Venoco from drilling for oil under his property.
“Eric Garcetti's stealth transfer of this lease to a longtime contributor does nothing to stop the expansion of oil drilling under a high school. If he wants to protect vulnerable school children, he should revoke the lease,” said Greuel campaign manager Rose Kapolczynski.
In 2003 Venoco was fined $10,000 by AQMD for releasing toxic fumes over the schools playing fields. The company was then forced to spend $60,000 on a state of the art air filtration system to ensure the safety of the students attending the high school.