Lizzy Tsuang
Staff Writer
Yesterday, Hermosa Beach residents voted to uphold the city-wide ban on oil drilling during the Mar 3 Special Municipal Election on Measure O. With approximately 4,800 ballots counted thus far, the unofficial margin of defeat stands as 21 percent in favor and 79 percent opposed.
A record of approximately 40 percent of votes were received by mail, as opposed to the polling precincts in established locations around Hermosa. The vote on Measure O was the largest turnout of a city election in decades. Stop Hermosa Beach Oil member Kevin Sousa predicts at least half of Hermosa Beach’s registered voters were involved.
“The community came together and united,” Sousa said. “Seeing everyone work together was awe inspiring. We rejected the values this oil company tried to impose on us, and I couldn’t be more proud of our community today.”
An estimated 1,500 mail ballots and 1,000 provisional ballots are to be counted in the next 24 days by City Clerk Elaine Doerfling. Election results will be posted on the City’s website as they are counted. Doerfling hopes to finalize the official results by the March 24 City Council meeting.
“We are proud to have been a part of the process and remain very thankful to the community for allowing us to make our case,” E&B president Steve Layton said. “We still believe the passage of Measure O presented a better future for Hermosa Beach but have no regrets letting the voters decide the outcome.”
Election results will be certified by March 27 at the latest. Following certification, City Council will discuss the future of Hermosa Beach and resolutions to the $17.5 million loan owed to E&B.
“Hermosa has a lot more to do, we still have to pay off the money and become economically stable,” Sousa said. “However, I know we did the right thing to protect our beaches. In the process, we learned a lot about our community and the people in it, and I am proud be a part of this.”
Leave a Reply