In 1985, as part of its 20-year quest to secure oil-drilling rights along Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, the Occidental Petroleum Company applied for a coastal development permit through the City of Los Angeles. According to Malcolm Abzug’s 1991 book ‘Palisades Oil,’ Occidental’s application included an artist’s rendering of the proposed 155-ft. drilling derrick, camouflaged to resemble a bell tower. The rendering, reproduced here (above left), shows a tower that ‘looks like a romantic relic of the days when California belonged to Mexico,’ Abzug wrote. He also quoted Abney Shure, a member of the opposing No Oil group, saying that ‘enclosing the derrick in a fake bell tower is like the fig leaf on Forest Lawn’s reproduction of Michelangelo’s David.’ The actress added, ‘Papier-mache swallows would be a nice touch on the bell tower.’ A second rendering (above right) presented a far more realistic image of what the oil derrick would look like, situated just across the highway from Will Rogers State Beach, near the mouth of Potrero Canyon and just east of Temescal Canyon Road. The battle between Occidental and No Oil! continued back and forth, featuring heated public hearings and political machinations, until November 8, 1988, when the city electorate was asked to vote on two propositions: pro-drilling Proposition P and drilling-ban Proposition 0. When Prop 0 received 52.3 percent of the vote and Prop P received only 34.3 percent, this effectively repealed earlier Palisades drilling ordinances and forced Occidental to finally abandon its plans in 1991. Roger Diamond, president of No Oil at the time, told the Palisadian-Post that he wanted to see the property donated to the city for a park, ‘so the children and great-grandchildren of No Oil members can prance in the sunlight.’
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