Palisades Oil Measure Upheld

A judge refused today to invalidate a November ballot initiative that would allow oil drilling in the Pacific Palisades, rejecting arguments by opponents that the Occidental Petroleum-backed measure is “grossly misleading.”

Superior Court Judge Miriam Vogel conceded that a portion of the measure is “slightly misleading,” but said she is confident that the voters are intelligent enough to decide for themselves what the measure would do. Roger Jon Diamond, a lawyer representing two Pacific Palisades couples who oppose drilling in their neighborhood, argued that the measure misleads voters into thinking it would protect the coast, while it actually would allow Occidental to drill there. Diamond, who heads No Oil Inc., which has fought Occidental’s oil drilling plans for nearly 20 years, favors a competing anti-drilling initiative sponsored by City Councilmen Marvin Braude and Zev Yaroslavsky.