The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-01-07
THE ANTI-REFiNERY ORDINANCE

The city attorney yesterday presented to
the council the following ordinance, max
ing it misdemeanor to maintain or ope-
rate oil reflueries inside the city limits:
An ordinance prohibiting the establish
ing and operation of refineries and distll-
leries in the city of Los Angeles, where oil,
petroleum, bitumeu, or their products, are
refined or distilled.
The mayor and council of the city of Los
Angeles do ordain as follows:
1t is hereby declared unlawful for any
person, firm, or body corporate to estab-
lish, maintain or operate within the limits
of the city of Los Angeles, any establish
ment where oil, petroleum, bitumen, or the
products of either. are refined or distilled.
Any person who shall violate any of the
provisions of this ordinance shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a
fine of not exceeding $500, or by imprison-
ment in the city Jail for term not to ex-
coed six months, or by both such fine and
imprisonment.
In presenting the above the city attorney
commented as follows:
las directed by you, have prepared and
herewith present an ordinance prohibiting
the establishment of oil refineries and dis
tilleries within the limits of the city of Los
Angeles.
"In sending to you the ordinance prohib-
iting oil retineries l have followed your Or
ders strictly. / think perhaps in justice to
myself should report to you that this Or
dinance will be bitterly resisted in the
courts, and that it may not have the effect
of closing refineries already in operation.
especially if they be operated in such man.
ner as may not to be public nuisance. An
ordinance which regulates and restraints a
legitimate business which may be obnoX-
ious in certain localities, or under certain
circumstances, and which confines such
business to certain districts. is much more
certainly enforceable than one which arbi-
trarily attempts to prohibit the carrying on
of a legitimate business, even if it be in a
locality or under circumstances which do
not render it obnoxious"
The suspension of the rules for the pass
age of the ordinance was objected to by
Councilman Snyder after the city attorney
had verbally given it as his opinion that
The proposed new law could probably not
be enforced. and a roll cell upon the mat
ter disclosed for suspension of tine rules {:
Pessell and President Teed-5. Against
the passage of the ordinance: Councilman
Snyder, Savage and Stockwell-3.
Absent and not voting. Councilman
Blanchard.
There was a large crowd of residents
from the Fourth, Second and Sixth wards
present who want the legislation proposed,
when it was found that the necessary two
thirds vote to suspend the rules for the
passage of the ordinance had not been Sc
cured.
The proposed law was ordered, as re-
suit, passed to print, and was made a spe.
cial order for next Monday at o'clock in
the afternoon.
The law will, under the circumstances,
probably not be adopted.
The city attorney also presented the fol-
lowing:
II would strongly recommend to your
honorable body that you take immediate
steps to have the city records which are in
the Spanish language transcribed by some
competent person, in order that they may
be of some use to the city. 1t is especially
important in view of the water litigation
which the city now has on hand, that these
records should be in such shape that they
could be used" Referred to the finance
committee.
I'm the matter of the suit brought by
Oscar Macy to quiet title to property
have referred to me the report of the land
committee recommending the filing of a
disclaimer. find upon an examination
that the city is the owner of record of q
strip formerly used for water ditch rum
ming across the land claimed by Mr.. Macy,
and thence northerly to the river. The
ditch has long since been abandoned by
the city, and the right of way has no con-
nection with other rights of way such as to
make it of any practical value to the city.
l refer the same back to your honorable
ton of judgment and right rather than a
legal proposition" Referred to the land
committee and action postponed for one
week,