‘Unrelenting’ : The Man Who Stood in the Way

At City Hall, where the hazards of dissent teach most bureaucrats convincing lessons in timidity, Robert Janovici has for seven months stood alone in the path of Occidental Petroleum Co.’s proposed oil drilling operation in Pacific Palisades.

Blocking the will of Mayor Tom Bradley and most of the City Council, Janovici’s unwavering opposition accomplished one goal that is unprecedented in the long and bitter battle over Occidental’s plans: It united the project’s friends and foes in mutual admiration for the soft-spoken zoning administrator.

Approval Obtained

Janovici entered the Occidental fray last year, after Bradley and the council had approved the giant firm’s controversial request to drill on a site just inland from Santa Monica Bay along Pacific Coast Highway.

Despite subtle political pressures, Janovici stunned City Hall in December when he refused to grant Occidental a drilling permit, ruling that the operation would have permanent adverse effects on the coastline.

The Board of Referred Powers--composed of five council members--heard the matter on appeal and spent months trying to convince Janovici to reverse his decision and write a new report allowing the drilling. Finally, on Thursday, the board ruled against Janovici’s recommendation and issued Occidental a permit to drill, pending Coastal Commission approval and court decisions.

Spirited Defense

Until Thursday’s ruling, Janovici had held off the Occidental approval with carefully crafted arguments and a spirited defense of the coastline.

When he offered an oral report to board members in April, advocating that they uphold his denial of a permit, he reminisced about a youth spent at beaches uncluttered with industrial developments like the one proposed by Occidental.

“Whenever I have wanted to go to the beach, I could go,” he said. “There was no industrial use blocking my way, no incompatible use inhibiting access, blocking traffic, interfering with my right as well as everyone else who lived where I live to go to the beach. . . .

“The beach doesn’t only belong to me; it doesn’t only belong to the city. It belongs to the people of the state of California.”

At a meeting in May, under increasing pressure by Councilman Dave Cunningham to come up with new findings, Janovici steadfastly declined to back down. When Cunningham persisted, Janovici pointedly suggested that Cunningham ask Occidental’s lobbyists to write the new report.

A stung Cunningham, an Occidental supporter and president of the Board of Referred Powers, offered what passed for high praise:

“One thing about the zoning administrator,” he said, frustrated, “he is just straightforward and unrelenting. Yes sir, mister.”

Typical of His Style

Janovici’s acquaintances say his handling of the Occidental matter fits his style. Acquaintances describe him as clever and forthright, a man whose tastes run to dapper clothes and upscale magazines like Atlantic Monthly and Harper’s.

He has worked for the City of Los Angeles since 1969, meanwhile obtaining a law degree and passing the State Bar exam, although he has not practiced law. Gray-haired at 43, he worked his way up the Civil Service ladder to his current post. He has handled zoning matters for the West Los Angeles area and the local coastline for more than a year.

He has a penchant for thorough research that was evident in his Occidental report, from citations from old, weighty environmental impact reports to a brief discourse on the importance of Mission-style architecture to the Pacific Palisades site.

Aware of the Furor

Conscious of the furor over Occidental’s proposal, Janovici has played matters close to the vest. He was not available for comment when his report was issued in December, and seven months later he remains so, politely declining to discuss the Occidental case.

The rapturous praise of Janovici from anti-drilling activists comes as no surprise, but even Occidental supporters who vehemently oppose Janovici’s position tip their hats to him.

“He took a tremendous amount of time and effort in listening to all sides of the matter,” said Maria Hummer, Occidental’s City Hall lobbyist.