Drilling will likely start in a month on 24 new oil wells in Baldwin Hills, the first of 600 new wells over three decades.
Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to create a Community Standards District for the 84-year-old oil field, giving the county regulatory authority. A final draft of the ordinance will be approved next week.
The decision clears the way for the Plains Exploration & Production Company to drill two dozen wells this year. The plan calls for 600 new wells off La Cienega Boulevard over the next 30 years.
Supervisor Yvonne Burke told opponents that the vote on county oversight was necessary because state law allows Houston-based PXP to start drilling anyway.
