Oilmen object to removing derricks from LA County seal

The Associated Press

Local oilmen say a proposal to strip the county seal of Los Angeles of its oil derricks neglects the region’s historical role as a major supplier of crude.

The derricks have been removed on a new seal along with a tiny cross and the Roman goddess Pomona.

The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors ordered the redesign after it voted last June to replace the cross, part of the seal since 1957, to avoid a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. The group said the cross was a government endorsement of Christianity.

For longtime members of the local oil industry, the seal’s three derricks are a fitting symbol of the vast oil fields of Signal Hill and Long Beach.

“You got to be kidding me. This is important history they want to lose,” said Robert Lee, 80, who owns a 10-acre oil field in Signal Hill.

In 1921, a single well gushed so much crude that it drew thousands of spectators on its first day. Another well spread across 1,400 acres once ranked among the world’s richest fields and helped turned the county into a major oil producer.

In recent decades, however, dozens of fields have yielded to development. Critics say the derricks’ removal is just another sign that the industry is fading.

“Ludicrous,” said Bob Potthast, 79, who worked for a pipeline company that moved gasoline and jet fuel. “It’s the history here. What are they going to do next, rename Los Angeles and Santa Barbara because they mean angels and saints?”

Officials have estimated the cost of replacing signs on thousands of county buildings at nearly $1 million. The Board of Supervisors was scheduled to review the latest revision in mid-September.

Signal Hill Mayor Erin Ward was among those planning to protest the change when it comes before the board.

“In my city, that history of oil is really important, especially to the old-timers,” Ward said. “They’re going to modernize the seal and take out most of the history in my opinion.”