Here’s the latest with California oil refineries

Over the past decade, there have been at least a dozen major refinery explosions and fires in California — with the two most recent explosions erupting at PBF Energy’s Martinez refinery earlier this year and Chevron’s El Segundo refinery last week. 

But as President Donald Trump’s administration works to weaken regulatory oversight and California lawmakers expand in-state oil drilling, the lack of a centralized authority to investigate refinery explosions is raising questions about who is scrutinizing the state’s oil industry after serious accidents.

As CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo explains, the Oct. 2 explosion in El Segundo would have prompted a probe by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, an independent federal agency regarded as a key source of information for the causes behind major refinery incidents. But Trump has viewed the board as duplicative, and has eliminated its funding in his most recently passed budget.

Instead, the explosion is being investigated by Chevron, as well as various state, regional and local agencies. The California Environmental Protection Agency isn’t leading an investigation, but said it will support the El Segundo Fire Department in its safety review.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill last month to boost oil production in Kern County in an apparent about-face on his former crusade against Big Oil. This comes amid state agencies delaying new measures — initially championed by Newsom — intended to further oversee refineries.

Read more here.

More on refineries: A string of refinery closures and planned shutdowns are leaving many of California’s 100,000 fossil fuel workers struggling to find jobs, writes CalMatters’ Adam Echelman.

In addition to the Marathon refinery in Contra Costa County closing in 2020, Phillips 66 plans to close its Los Angeles refinery by the end of this year. A Valero refinery in Solano County is also expected to shut down in the next few months.

The closures are likely to lead to more layoffs. But for refinery workers who have no college degrees and earn between $80,000 to $200,000 a year, finding a job with comparable pay is difficult. Though the state last year offered $30 million to workforce organizations to train refinery workers for new jobs, only a fraction has received support.

Read more here.

On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice said it arrested a former Pacific Palisades resident suspected of starting the fire that eventually became the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed over 6,000 structures in January.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old living in Florida, was driving for Uber in L.A. the night of Dec. 31, 2024. Pulling together statements from witnesses, video surveillance footage, cellphone data and other evidence, law enforcement officials determined that Rinderknecht “maliciously set” a fire shortly after midnight near or at the Palisades’ Skull Rock trailhead. Though firefighters suppressed that fire, it continued to smolder underground and then resurfaced a week later as the Palisades Fire.

• Bill Essayli, acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, at a press conference: “As the world watched in horror as the Palisades Fire burned, victims perished in the smoke and flames. … Though homes and businesses cannot be rebuilt, this arrest, we hope, will provide a measure of justice to all those who were impacted.”

If convicted, Rinderknecht could spend up to 20 years in federal prison. The cause of the Eaton Fire, which also broke out Jan. 7 and killed 18 people, is still under investigation. The Justice Department is suing Southern California Edison in connection to it.

Gov. Newsom signed more bills into law this week. Some measures that will take effect on Jan. 1 include:

• Processed foods: California will become the first state to ban ultra-processed foods from school meals. By 2035, schools must phase out these foods, which are characterized by, among other things, artificial flavors and colors; sweeteners that aren’t nutritious; and high levels of saturated fat, sodium or sugar. Read more from CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang.

• Sex abuse in schools: All of California’s public and private K-12 schools will be required to train teachers, coaches and staff on how to recognize signs of and prevent sexual grooming and misconduct. The measure will also create a database that administrators must use to vet prospective teachers for potential misconduct. Read more from CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones. 

• Elections and voting: To help speed up elections, county election offices will have up to 13 days after Election Day to count ballots. Officials still have 30 days to certify election results, however. Newsom also signed another bill that makes it illegal for people to pay others to register to vote. Read more from CalMatters’ Nadia Lathan.

• Mute swans: To bring down the population of mute swans — which are considered invasive in California — hunters and landowners will be allowed to shoot mute swans through 2031.

California’s cybersecurity commander, Edward Bómbita, will finish his last day on Friday after being notified of his termination in September. Bómbita spoke to CalMatters’ Khari Johnson about why he believes he was fired; what he really thinks about the state agency he oversaw; and what he considers to be the biggest threat facing California today. Read more here.