Why abandoned oil platforms dot CA’s coast, and living near oil wells means health problems

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This map shows the 27 oil platforms off California’s coast. Many of them no longer produce oil, says Sean Anderson, a professor at CSU Channel Islands. Photo courtesy of Sean Anderson.

The recent oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach has raised questions about the state of offshore oil in California, like how many structures are there and who owns them. 

Plus, Angelenos share their landscape with thousands of chemical-releasing oil wells that can harm their health. Lastly, a bomb detonation killed Palestinian American activist Alex Odeh in 1985 in Santa Ana, and the case went cold, but now a local police officer who responded to the incident in the 1980s is finally speaking out.