Los Angeles, California Council Votes 13-0 to Ban New Oil Drilling and Phase Out Wells in 20 Years

Los Angeles has voted a second time to end oil drilling inside city limits. The City Council approved the ordinance 13-0 on Wednesday, October 28, with Councilmembers Imelda Padilla and Curren Price absent, City News Service reported. The measure bans new oil and gas extraction citywide, declares every existing oil and gas operation a nonconforming use in all zones, and requires existing operations to stop within 20 years.

What changes on the ground

The ordinance applies to about 600 active and 1,200 idle oil wells across the city, and idle wells cannot be brought back into production. Existing wells cannot be deepened, redrilled or expanded, although routine servicing and maintenance are still allowed. City documents create a separate review process for work needed to prevent or stop a credible threat to public health, safety or the environment.

Most of the remaining active and idle wells sit in the Harbor District near the Port of Los Angeles and in west Central Los Angeles. Three companies operate about two thirds of the active wells: Warren Resources, E&B Natural Resources Management Corp., and Tidelands Oil Production Co. Counting abandoned sites as well, the city has more than 5,200 oil and gas wells in total, the California Post reported.

The health case that carried the vote

Supporters pointed to the homes, schools and parks that sit near drill sites, and to studies linking oil wells to carcinogens, respiratory issues, headaches and throat irritation. "The record is more clear than ever about why this approach is valid and urgently needed," Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said.

"We are all well past the debate about whether gas and oil wells belong in our residential communities," Councilmember Traci Park said. "They don't." Ashley Hernandez, a Wilmington resident and organizer with the nonprofit Communities for a Better Environment, described black soot on window sills and foul odors near wells. "This is environmental racism in action," Hernandez said. "But today, the City Council made it possible for us to write a different story for our communities, our health and our future."

A ban that died in court, revived by a state law

The council first passed a phaseout in 2022, and that ordinance took effect on January 18, 2023. Oil companies sued, and a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge struck the ban down in September 2024 after agreeing that state law superseded the city's jurisdiction. The city later repealed it. Governor Gavin Newsom then signed Assembly Bill 3233, which expressly authorizes local governments to regulate, limit or prohibit oil and gas operations in their communities, and the law took effect on January 1, 2025. The Planning Department released a new draft on September 17, 2025, with the same core policy and the same 20-year phaseout as the 2022 measure.

Lawsuits are expected again

Yaroslavsky acknowledged that the city is likely to be sued over the new ordinance and said city staff worked hard to put its legality on firm ground. Energy companies argue the action is an unlawful taking of their property. In a letter to the city in December, Warren Resources argued the measure would violate vested rights, rest on an inadequate environmental review, and exceed the authority Assembly Bill 3233 actually grants, and it said evidence tying city operations to widespread health harm is lacking. The California Independent Petroleum Association warned that shutting down local production would raise dependence on imported oil. "Why the LA City Council would want Angelenos to be more dependent on foreign oil tankers is nuts," association chief executive Rock Zierman told the California Post.