While Los Angeles is often associated with the entertainment industry, L.A. was built on oil. Some may not realize it, but oil drills are everywhere — they’re just hidden. Even though these sites are hard to spot, Angelenos living near them often disproportionately experience health issues. They are not strangers to oil drilling, yet some residents quite literally don’t know what’s happening in their own backyards. Angelenos deserve transparency, especially because their lives are negatively impacted.  

Oil drilling in L.A. dates back to the late 19th century when Edward Doheny and Charles Canfield struck oil in 1892; this discovery helped bolster oil production in the 20th century. By the 1920s and 1930s, L.A. was one of the world’s leading oil producers, generating about 25% of the world’s oil, according to a state oil and gas supervisor in a Los Angeles Times article. Especially during World War II, the government supported increased oil production despite the growing concerns about safety and oil pollution. Oil drilling was unregulated, which led to oil spills, fires, gushers, explosions and blowouts. 

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Currently, L.A. does not nearly produce as much oil as it used to. However, that doesn’t mean oil drilling’s harmful effects have stopped. These sites produce toxic chemicals such as benzene and other irritants, some of which can lead to an increased risk of cancer. A USC study published in 2022 found that proximity to active or recently idle drilling sites and normal lung function were negatively correlated. In other words, breathing gets harder closer to oil wells. Other health consequences include nosebleeds, headaches, throat irritation and endocrine disorders.

Researchers found that “70% of active wells in Los Angeles are located within a 1500 ft. distance from ‘sensitive land uses’” such as residential areas. Despite the negative effects associated with oil sites, there are still Angelenos who don’t know that they live next to one. According to the 2022 USC survey conducted near wells in the Las Cienegas oil field, “45% [of those surveyed] didn’t know oil wells were operating nearby.” 

Around the USC neighborhood, there are three oil drilling sites: the Jefferson Drill Site (closed), North University Park Site (idle) and the Murphy Drill Site (active).

The Murphy Drill Site is surrounded by apartment complexes and retirement homes. It’s also less than 1,000 feet from three public schools. The oil site is cleverly hidden. It’s surrounded by a short, green-painted wall embellished with well-trimmed trees. There are signs on the gates displaying various warnings such as cancer risks. This is an example of aesthetic mitigation — an effort to reduce the external visual impact for aesthetic reasons. 

Yitayew Desta, 39, recently moved to the apartment building right next to the site. Although he passes by the green wall often with his son, he believed that behind those green walls was a park. While he is uncertain if living next to the oil well contributed to his son’s asthma, he noted that it was common for children around this area to have respiratory problems. 

“Having this kind of settlement near [a] residential area is not fair,” Desta said. “Who are you going to blame if you get sick, if you get cancer? [The signs] stated that it causes cancer. Who’s going to compensate that? Nothing’s going to compensate that.”

People’s safety and health can’t be overlooked. Aesthetic mitigation doesn’t offer transparency, and people deserve to know the truth, especially if they are directly affected. 

In light of growing concerns about the repercussions of oil drilling, the Los Angeles City Council adopted an ordinance in 2022 to “prohibit new oil and gas extraction and make existing extraction activities a nonconforming use in all zones.” This plan will phase out oil drilling in the next 20 years. 

This ordinance somewhat solves the problem of oil drilling on a micro level — while it will stop oil drilling specifically in L.A. eventually, peoples’ lives will still be negatively impacted for 20 more years. However, to make a difference on a macro scale, there needs to be more emphasis on renewable and clean energy. 

Currently, L.A. and the world heavily rely on petroleum, which means that banning oil drilling would not solve the problem. Instead, we need to shift our focus toward clean energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy, hydropower and geothermal energy. Only then can we make an extensive difference in people’s lives as well as the health of our world.