[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1586880141202{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Santa Barbara–based Matrix Oil proposed to drill fifty oil wells on a small part of the Puente Hills Landfill Habitat Preserve in the City of Whittier. The 1290-acre preserve was originally an oil field owned and operated by Chevron and Unocal. Over 500 oil wells operated for about 100 years until the land was abandoned in the early 1990s. Because of the dramatic increase in oil prices and the efficiencies that new drilling techniques employed, it was now possible to revive the oil field and about twenty million barrels of oil were expected to be produced over a twenty-five–year period. The City of Whittier negotiated a lease with Matrix that included a substantial payment of royalties—enough to cure the city’s budget problems for years to come.

EKA was retained by Matrix to educate the community about the benefits of the arrangement and to educate the public about the minimal impact of the project on both the nature preserve and surrounding neighborhoods. This was necessary to give the incumbents on the Council the political cover they needed to move forward with the deal while preparing to run for re-election.

Our communications program consisted of the following elements:

• Targeted videos, including a seven-minute video that combined facts about the project, images from the site and interviews with community leaders. We told the history of the site framed around the history of Whitter. By tying together the fact that the land was not a natural habitat but a closed oil field with the benign nature of the proposed project, we were able to neutralize one of the oppositions main arguments against it. A second video served to debunk false claims made by project opponents regarding sound issues. We used technical experts and computer-generated graphics to refute the lies in a video the opponents had produced and disseminated.
• A community outreach program with highly trained walkers and callers that resulted in the placement of more than 1,000 signs on household lawns throughout the city. The signs read, “Our Family Supports Whittier’s Future. www.whittieroil.com ”
• A direct-mail program that highlighted the environmental protection features and benefits of the project. Extensive website, social media and email programs reaching thousands of Whittier residents
• Newspaper ads that corresponded to the messages in the mail program along with television commercials on local cable
• Local spokespeople who agreed to sign letters to the editor and comment at the public hearings of the planning commission and the city council.

 

The city council hearings stretched on for six nights. The city council voted 5–0 for the project. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_fancy_title color=”#000000″ size=”16″ force_font_size=”true” size_smallscreen=”16″ size_tablet=”12″ size_phone=”12″ font_weight=”bold” txt_transform=”uppercase” letter_spacing=”2″ font_family=”Montserrat” font_type=”google” responsive_align=”left”]CONTACT EKA NOW[/mk_fancy_title]

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1646503856962{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]The 710 freeway was developed over six decades ago and runs north to south from the City of Long Beach to the City of Alhambra. Plans for construction of the 710 freeway to extend north to the 210 freeway were never completed.

As a result, commuters traveling north on the 710 were forced to utilize local streets to reach their destinations. Several cities continued to be impacted by severe gridlock as commuters made their way through local arterials. EKA was retained by the Coalition formed by the affected cities to advocate and engage with relevant local agencies, officials and other organizations to pursue completion of the 710 freeway.

EKA worked with the Coalition to develop a public relations outreach plan that involved key agencies and stakeholders as well as labor and other organizations impacted by and/or involved with the issue. It was critical that we understood not only the perspective of local officials and agencies but also the sentiments of the local community. Through polling and research, we were able to identify geographic support for the Coalition’s position. Forming strategic alliances and engaging with and responding to media was also a key component of the Coalition’s efforts.

Through our program we were able to find local spokespeople who agreed to sign letters to the editor and who also agreed to comment at the public hearings. Coalition cities continue to work with local agencies to minimize gridlock and severe traffic in their neighborhoods.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_fancy_title color=”#000000″ size=”16″ force_font_size=”true” size_smallscreen=”16″ size_tablet=”12″ size_phone=”12″ font_weight=”bold” txt_transform=”uppercase” letter_spacing=”2″ font_family=”Montserrat” font_type=”google” responsive_align=”left”]CONTACT EKA NOW[/mk_fancy_title]

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