Oil and Gas Drilling in California Legislative Districts

By Kyle Ferrar, MPH/March 14, 2022 / 3 minute read

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Overview

FracTracker Alliance has been working with grassroots organizations to help inform legislators of the presence of oil and gas extraction operations in their districts. As part of this educational series, we have written a collection of summaries for a handful of legislative districts. These summaries have been supplied directly to legislators and have also helped to inform residents of the roles their districts play in California oil and gas extraction. The summaries have been saved to a share folder and are accessible for download. FracTracker will continue to populate this folder with additional district summaries as they are requested.

Request data here.

Momentum towards a Just Transition in California has been growing. Governor Newsom’s administration has taken the first steps towards meaningful change by banning some of the most climate-damaging oil extraction processes, such as hydraulic fracturing and high-pressure steam injection. Also, the permitting rate of new oil and gas wells has slowed dramatically since the fourth quarter of 2021 to allow regulators to take the time to assess properly the known environmental impacts of new oil and gas well permit applications.

Most importantly, the Governor’s drafted 3,200-foot public health setback regulations could provide necessary health and safety buffers for Frontline communities to reduce exposures to uncontrolled emissions from oil and gas wells and associated industrial infrastructure.

California’s New 2022 Bills

Besides these executive actions, the state legislature proposed several new extraction related bills for the 2022 legislative sessions.

Journalist Sammy Roth’s weekly newsletter “Boiling Point” in the LA times recently summarized the 30+ environmentally focused bills to be considered in 2022. Several – including SB 260, SB 1332, and AB 1694 – aim to require disclosures and to increase transparency around gas pricing, fossil fuel project insurance, and greenhouse gas emissions. SB 1486 would require SoCal Gas to shut down Aliso Canyon by 2027; AB 1676 would facilitate carbon capture deployment; SB 953 would require state regulators to end all offshore oil leases in state waters by 2023; and AB 1966 would establish the “California Equitable Just Transition Fund” to train fossil fuel workers for clean energy jobs, as well as providing wage and benefit help for laid-off workers.

FracTracker summarized the counts of operational oil and gas wells in California’s legislative districts, and mapped the state’s senate districts, assembly districts, and federal legislative districts.

The maps include the locations of operational oil and gas wells, and new drilling permit approvals. FracTracker created three maps, one for each legislative district type. The maps are shown below in Figures 1 – 3. A table follows each map, with counts of operational wells and approved permits for each legislative district (Tables 1-3).

California State Assembly Districts and Oil & Gas Sites

Figure 1. Map of California State Assembly Districts and Oil & Gas Sites. The map overlays the locations of operational oil and gas wells, along with new drilling and well rework permit approvals. Also identified are operational wells within the 3,200-foot setback zone of a home or other sensitive receptor. View the map “Details” tab below in the top left corner to learn more and access the data, or click on the map to explore the dynamic version of this data. Data sources are also listed at the end of this article. In order to turn layers on and off in the map, use the Layers dropdown menu.

View Full Size Map | Updated 3/10/2022 | Map Tutorial

Table 1. Well and Permit Counts in California State Assembly Districts. The table below sums the counts of CalGEM’s “active” wells, “idle” wells, and operational wells (active and idle) within 3,200 feet of a sensitive receptor, as well as new drilling permits and well rework permits CalGEM issued in 2021.

Click to Expand Table 1

Assembly District	Active Well Count	Idle Well Count	Operational Wells within 3,200′ Setback	New Drilling Permit Count	Well Rework Permit Count	Representative	Party	Residence
Assembly District 1	0	2	2	0	0	Megan Dahle	R	Bieber
Assembly District 2	27	28	36	0	0	Jim Wood	D	Santa Rosa
Assembly District 3	539	427	705	1	29	James Gallagher	R	Yuba City
Assembly District 4	144	222	197	0	7	Cecilia Aguiar-Curry	D	Winters
Assembly District 5	24	15	10	0	1	Frank Bigelow	R	O’Neals
Assembly District 6	0	0	0	0	0	Kevin Kiley	R	Rocklin
Assembly District 7	0	1	0	0	0	Kevin McCarty	D	Sacramento
Assembly District 8	0	0	0	0	0	Ken Cooley	D	Rancho Cordova
Assembly District 9	0	2	2	0	0	Jim Cooper	D	Elk Grove
Assembly District 10	0	0	0	0	0	Marc Levine	D	Greenbrae
Assembly District 11	165	271	293	0	7	Vacant
Assembly District 12	25	24	46	0	5	Heath Flora	R	Ripon
Assembly District 13	120	79	185	0	23	Carlos Villapudua	D	Stockton
Assembly District 14	18	5	23	0	0	Tim Grayson	D	Concord
Assembly District 15	0	0	0	0	0	Buffy Wicks	D	Oakland
Assembly District 16	7	3	10	0	0	Rebecca Bauer-Kahan	D	Orinda
Assembly District 17	0	0	0	0	0	Vacant
Assembly District 18	0	0	0	0	0	Mia Bonta	D	Alameda
Assembly District 19	0	0	0	0	0	Phil Ting	D	San Francisco
Assembly District 20	0	0	0	0	0	Bill Quirk	D	Hayward
Assembly District 21	0	4	3	0	0	Adam Gray	D	Merced
Assembly District 22	0	0	0	0	0	Kevin Mullin	D	South San Francisco
Assembly District 23	0	0	0	0	0	Jim Patterson	R	Fresno
Assembly District 24	0	36	32	0	0	Marc Berman	D	Palo Alto
Assembly District 25	0	0	0	0	0	Alex Lee	D	San Jose
Assembly District 26	1436	776	257	23	30	Devon Mathis	R	Visalia
Assembly District 27	0	0	0	0	0	Ash Kalra	D	San Jose
Assembly District 28	0	10	10	0	0	Evan Low	D	Campbell
Assembly District 29	0	0	0	0	0	Mark Stone	D	Scotts Valley
Assembly District 30	1099	494	310	5	37	Robert Rivas	D	Hollister
Assembly District 31	2706	2131	342	11	57	Joaquin Arambula	D	Fresno
Assembly District 32	7573	3850	1753	22	111	Rudy Salas	D	Bakersfield
Assembly District 33	0	8	2	0	0	Thurston Smith	R	Hesperia
Assembly District 34	42906	21098	10401	479	845	Vince Fong	R	Bakersfield
Assembly District 35	1175	1563	1562	0	186	Jordan Cunningham	R	Paso Robles
Assembly District 36	0	12	10	0	0	Tom Lackey	R	Palmdale
Assembly District 37	1916	2122	1876	0	42	Steve Bennett	D	Ojai
Assembly District 38	441	515	772	0	18	Suzette Martinez Valladares	R	Santa Clarita
Assembly District 39	0	40	40	0	0	Luz Rivas	D	North Hollywood
Assembly District 40	1	5	4	0	0	James Ramos	D	Highland
Assembly District 41	0	1	1	0	0	Chris Holden	D	Pasadena
Assembly District 42	0	16	12	0	0	Chad Mayes	I	Yucca Valley
Assembly District 43	0	3	3	0	0	Laura Friedman	D	Glendale
Assembly District 44	48	231	274	0	19	Jacqui Irwin	D	Thousand Oaks
Assembly District 45	0	11	11	0	0	Jesse Gabriel	D	Encino
Assembly District 46	0	0	0	0	0	Adrin Nazarian	D	Sherman Oaks
Assembly District 47	0	2	2	0	0	Eloise Reyes	D	Grand Terrace
Assembly District 48	0	0	0	0	0	Blanca Rubio	D	Baldwin Park
Assembly District 49	1	47	48	0	0	Vacant
Assembly District 50	129	142	271	0	0	Richard Bloom	D	Santa Monica
Assembly District 51	11	520	531	0	0	Wendy Carrillo	D	Boyle Heights
Assembly District 52	0	8	8	0	0	Freddie Rodriguez	D	Pomona
Assembly District 53	13	364	377	0	0	Miguel Santiago	D	Los Angeles
Assembly District 54	703	293	996	0	18	Isaac Bryan	D	Los Angeles
Assembly District 55	552	446	991	1	4	Phillip Chen	R	Yorba Linda
Assembly District 56	0	14	7	0	0	Eduardo Garcia	D	Coachella
Assembly District 57	262	311	573	0	10	Lisa Calderon	D	Whittier
Assembly District 58	126	98	224	0	12	Cristina Garcia	D	Bell Gardens
Assembly District 59	10	28	38	0	0	Reggie Jones-Sawyer	D	Los Angeles
Assembly District 60	0	9	9	0	0	Sabrina Cervantes	D	Riverside
Assembly District 61	0	1	1	0	0	Jose Medina	D	Riverside
Assembly District 62	55	38	93	0	1	Vacant
Assembly District 63	0	10	10	0	0	Anthony Rendon	D	Lakewood
Assembly District 64	345	227	572	0	0	Mike Gipson	D	Carson
Assembly District 65	51	36	87	0	0	Sharon Quirk-Silva	D	Fullerton
Assembly District 66	94	59	153	0	1	Al Muratsuchi	D	Rolling Hills Estates
Assembly District 67	0	1	1	0	0	Kelly Seyarto	R	Murrieta
Assembly District 68	11	19	30	0	1	Steven Choi	R	Irvine
Assembly District 69	0	0	0	0	0	Tom Daly	D	Anaheim
Assembly District 70	1400	914	2087	0	13	Patrick O’Donnell	D	Long Beach
Assembly District 71	0	3	2	0	0	Randy Voepel	R	Santee
Assembly District 72	174	104	275	0	0	Janet Nguyen	R	Garden Grove
Assembly District 73	0	8	8	0	0	Laurie Davies	R	Laguna Niguel
Assembly District 74	170	295	465	0	1	Cottie Petrie-Norris	D	Laguna Beach
Assembly District 75	0	2	2	0	0	Marie Waldron	R	Escondido
Assembly District 76	0	3	3	0	0	Tasha Boerner Horvath	D	Encinitas
Assembly District 77	0	6	5	0	0	Brian Maienschein	D	San Diego
Assembly District 78	0	7	7	0	0	Chris Ward	D	San Diego
Assembly District 79	0	5	5	0	0	Akilah Weber	D	La Mesa
Assembly District 80	0	6	6	0	0	Vacant

California State Senate Districts and Oil & Gas Sites

Figure 2. Map of California State Senate Districts and Oil & Gas Sites. The map overlays the locations of operational oil and gas wells, along with new drilling and well rework permit approvals. Also identified are operational wells within the 3,200-foot setback zone of a home or other sensitive receptor. View the map “Details” tab below in the top left corner to learn more and access the data, or click on the map to explore the dynamic version of this data. Data sources are also listed at the end of this article. In order to turn layers on and off in the map, use the Layers dropdown menu.

View Full Size Map | Updated 3/10/2022 | Map Tutorial

Table 2. Well and Permit Counts in California State Senate Districts. The table below sums the counts of CalGEM’s “active” wells, “idle” wells, and operational wells (active and idle) within 3,200 feet of a sensitive receptor, as well as new drilling permits and well rework permits CalGEM issued in 2021.

Click to expand Table 2

CA State Senate District	Active Well Count	Idle Well Count	Operational Wells within 3,200′ Setback	New Drilling Permit Count	Well Rework Permit Count	Representative	Party	Residence
State Senate District 1	0	2	2	0	0	Brian Dahle	Republican	Bieber
State Senate District 2	27	29	37	0	0	Mike McGuire	Democratic	Healdsburg
State Senate District 3	179	319	313	0	7	Bill Dodd	Democratic	Napa
State Senate District 4	665	580	862	1	36	Jim Nielsen	Republican	Red Bluff
State Senate District 5	145	97	227	0	28	Susan Eggman	Democratic	Stockton
State Senate District 6	0	1	0	0	0	Richard Pan	Democratic	Sacramento
State Senate District 7	29	30	54	0	0	Steve Glazer	Democratic	Orinda
State Senate District 8	0	6	4	0	0	Andreas Borgeas	Republican	Fresno
State Senate District 9	0	0	0	0	0	Nancy Skinner	Democratic	Berkeley
State Senate District 10	0	0	0	0	0	Bob Wieckowski	Democratic	Fremont
State Senate District 11	0	0	0	0	0	Scott Wiener	Democratic	San Francisco
State Senate District 12	2752	2202	365	11	60	Anna Caballero	Democratic	Salinas
State Senate District 13	0	36	32	0	0	Josh Becker	Democratic	Menlo Park
State Senate District 14	7213	3578	1615	22	111	Melissa Hurtado	Democratic	Sanger
State Senate District 15	0	10	10	0	0	Dave Cortese	Democratic	Los Gatos
State Senate District 16	44702	22153	10797	502	875	Shannon Grove	Republican	Bakersfield
State Senate District 17	1361	661	597	5	44	John Laird	Democratic	Santa Cruz
State Senate District 18	42	10	31	0	8	Robert Hertzberg	Democratic	Van Nuys
State Senate District 19	2803	3614	3389	0	238	Monique Limón	Democratic	Santa Barbara
State Senate District 20	0	10	10	0	0	Connie Leyva	Democratic	Chino
State Senate District 21	304	448	723	0	5	Scott Wilk	Republican	Santa Clarita
State Senate District 22	6	15	21	0	0	Susan Rubio	Democratic	Baldwin Park
State Senate District 23	1	19	14	0	0	Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh	Republican	Yucaipa
State Senate District 24	11	870	881	0	0	Maria Elena Durazo	Democratic	Los Angeles
State Senate District 25	0	8	8	0	0	Anthony Portantino	Democratic	La Cañada Flintridge
State Senate District 26	115	128	243	0	1	Ben Allen	Democratic	Santa Monica
State Senate District 27	147	209	111	0	5	Henry Stern	Democratic	Malibu
State Senate District 28	0	5	4	0	0	Melissa Melendez	Republican	Lake Elsinore
State Senate District 29	603	480	1076	1	4	Josh Newman	Democratic	Fullerton
State Senate District 30	798	378	1176	0	18	Sydney Kamlager	Democratic	Los Angeles
State Senate District 31	0	10	10	0	0	Richard Roth	Democratic	Riverside
State Senate District 32	383	444	827	0	22	Bob Archuleta	Democratic	Pico Rivera
State Senate District 33	1232	778	1783	0	11	Lena Gonzalez	Democratic	Long Beach
State Senate District 34	240	138	375	0	1	Tom Umberg	Democratic	Santa Ana
State Senate District 35	525	395	920	0	2	Steven Bradford	Democratic	Gardena
State Senate District 36	0	12	12	0	0	Patricia Bates	Republican	Laguna Niguel
State Senate District 37	194	316	510	0	2	Dave Min	Democratic	Irvine
State Senate District 38	0	4	3	0	0	Brian Jones	Republican	Santee
State Senate District 39	0	12	11	0	0	Toni Atkins	Democratic	San Diego
State Senate District 40	0	24	18	0	0	Ben Hueso	Democratic	San Diego

California U.S. Congressional Districts and Oil & Gas Sites

Figure 3. Map of California U.S. Congressional Districts and Oil & Gas Sites. The map overlays the locations of operational oil and gas wells, along with new drilling and well rework permit approvals. Also identified are operational wells located within the 3,200’ setback zone of a home or other sensitive receptor. View the map “Details” tab below in the top right corner to learn more and access the data, or click on the map to explore the dynamic version of this data. Data sources are also listed at the end of this article. In order to turn layers on and off in the map, use the Layers dropdown menu.

View Full Size Map | Updated 3/10/2022 | Map Tutorial

Table 3. Well and Permit Counts in California Federal Legislative Districts. The table below sums the counts of CalGEM’s “active” wells, “idle” wells, and operational wells (active and idle) within 3,200’ of a sensitive receptor, as well as new drilling permits and well rework permits CalGEM issued in 2021.

Click to expand Table 3

CA U.S. Congressional District	Active Well Count	Idle Well Count	Operational Wells within 3,200′ Setback	New Drilling Permit Count	Well Rework Permit Count	Representative	Party	Residence
Congressional District 1	284	163	1	347	3	Doug LaMalfa	R	Oroville
Congressional District 2	27	28	0	36	0	Jared Huffman	D	San Rafael
Congressional District 3	560	732	0	826	40	John Garamendi	D	Walnut Grove
Congressional District 4	0	0	0	0	0	Tom McClintock	R	Elk Grove
Congressional District 5	0	6	0	4	0	Mike Thompson	D	St. Helena
Congressional District 6	0	1	0	0	0	Doris Matsui	D	Sacrmento
Congressional District 7	0	0	0	0	0	Ami Bera	D	Elk Grove
Congressional District 8	1	12	0	5	0	Jay Obernoite	R	Big Bear Lake
Congressional District 9	144	80	0	205	28	Jerry McNErney	D	Stockton
Congressional District 10	5	47	0	48	0	Josh Harder	D	Turlock
Congressional District 11	18	5	0	23	0	Mark DeSaulnier	D	Concord
Congressional District 12	0	0	0	0	0	Nancy Pelosi	D	San Francisco
Congressional District 13	0	0	0	0	0	BarbarlaLee	D	Oakland
Congressional District 14	0	8	0	8	0	Jackie Speier	D	Hisslborough
Congressional District 15	7	3	0	10	0	Eric Swalwell	D	Dublin
Congressional District 16	24	18	0	13	1	Jim Costa	D	Fresno
Congressional District 17	0	0	0	0	0	Ro Khanna	D	Fremont
Congressional District 18	0	38	0	34	0	Anna Esho	D	Atherton
Congressional District 19	13	5	0	0	0	Zoe Logren	D	San Jose
Congressional District 20	1086	489	5	310	37	Jimmy Panetta	D	Carmel Valley
Congressional District 21	10278	5979	34	2101	168	David Valadao	R	Hanford
Congressional District 22	0	0	0	0	0	Vacant
Congressional District 23	44343	21878	501	10653	875	Kevin MCCarthy	R	Bakersfield
Congressional District 24	2091	2419	0	2081	202	Salud Carbajal	D	Santa Barbara
Congressional District 25	399	516	0	751	10	Mike Garcia	R	Santa Clarita
Congressional District 26	1048	1499	0	1633	45	Julia Brownley	D	Westlake Village
Congressional District 27	0	10	0	10	0	Judy Chu	D	Monterey Park
Congressional District 28	0	12	0	12	0	Adam Schiff	D	Burbank
Congressional District 29	0	35	0	35	0	Tony Cárdenas	D	Pacoima
Congressional District 30	42	17	0	38	8	Brad Sherman	D	Sherman Oaks
Congressional District 31	0	4	0	4	0	Pete Aguilar	D	Redlands
Congressional District 32	6	4	0	10	0	Grace Napolitano	D	Norwalk
Congressional District 33	116	113	0	229	1	Ted Lieu	D	Torrance
Congressional District 34	24	881	0	905	0	Jimmy Gomez	D	Los Angeles
Congressional District 35	0	8	0	8	0	Norma Torres	D	Pomona
Congressional District 36	0	10	0	7	0	Raul Ruiz	D	Coachella
Congressional District 37	785	373	0	1158	18	Karen Bass	D	Los Angeles
Congressional District 38	302	330	0	632	14	Linda Sánchez	D	Whittier
Congressional District 39	676	567	1	1236	12	Young Kim	R	La Habra
Congressional District 40	11	45	0	56	0	Lucille Roybal-Allard	D	Downey
Congressional District 41	0	5	0	4	0	Mark Takano	D	Riverside
Congressional District 42	0	13	0	12	0	Ken Calvert	R	Corona
Congressional District 43	111	83	0	194	1	Maxine Waters	D	Los Angeles
Congressional District 44	413	328	0	741	1	Nannette Barragán	D	San Pedro
Congressional District 45	0	10	0	10	0	Katie Porter	D	Irvine
Congressional District 46	8	5	0	13	1	Lou Correa	D	Santa Ana
Congressional District 47	1311	807	0	1891	12	Alan Lowenthal	D	Long Beach
Congressional District 48	344	399	0	740	1	Michelle Steel	R	Surfside
Congressional District 49	0	6	0	6	0	Mike Levin	D	San Joan Capistrano
Congressional District 50	0	4	0	3	0	Darrell Issa	R	Vista
Congressional District 51	0	22	0	16	0	Juan Vargas	R	San Diego
Congressional District 52	0	10	0	9	0	Scott Peters	D	San Diego
Congressional District 53	0	4	0	4	0	Sara Jacobs	D	San Diego

The Take Away

The goal of these maps and tables is to inform readers and legislators of the extraction activity occurring in their home districts.

The environmental bills proposed in the 2022 legislative session could have a significant impact on extraction activities in California—with benefits—including the reduction of greenhouse gases, reduction of petroleum prices for consumers, and public health protections for Frontline communities.

If readers are interested in voicing their opinions to their state legislators, they can find their legislators’ names and links to contact information here—just plug in your home address!

References & Where to Learn More

Oil and Gas Well Locations: CalGEM AllWells.csv dataset. https://www.conservation.ca.gov/calgem/Online_Data. Data Downloaded 2/1/22.
California Legislative Districts: California Department of Education. Downloaded from the California Geoportal https://gis.data.ca.gov/maps/CDEGIS::legislative-districts-in-california/about. Data Downloaded 1/15/22.

Topics in This Article:

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By contributing to FracTracker, you are helping to make tangible changes, such as decreasing the number of oil and gas wells in the US, protecting the public from toxic and radioactive chemicals, and stopping petrochemical expansion into vulnerable communities.

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