Local News in Brief : New Officers at No Oil Inc.

No Oil Inc., the group fighting to bar oil drilling by the Occidental Petroleum Corp. in the Pacific Palisades, announced Wednesday that it has elected attorney Roger Diamond to be its new president and has hired political consultant Mark Ryavec to be executive director as it organizes an initiative campaign against the drilling.

Ryavec said the initiatives would be available for circulation by the end of the month. They would ban oil drilling in any new locations on or near Los Angeles beaches.

Diamond, who once ran unsuccessfully for the state Assembly and has long been active politically, said, “Despite Occidental Petroleum’s recent success in City Hall--by underhanded parliamentary maneuvering--we are determined to stop this dangerous threat to our community, our beaches and the Santa Monica Bay.”