Oil

The sharp cracks echoing from the East Bakersfield street were loud enough to jolt Ruben Ceballos from a midnight slumber. Then he heard screams. The 19-year-old jumped from his living room sofa and hurried to the kitchen door, which offered a view of the violent scene outside - Kern County sheriff's deputies repeatedly striking a man in the head with batons as he lay on the pavement. "I saw two sheriff's deputies on top of this guy, just beating him," Ceballos said in an interview Monday.

WASHINGTON - President Obama said Friday he wanted to put more Americans to work by slashing the amount of time it takes to grant federal approval for big job-creating projects. But Obama's choice of venue for his remarks - a Baltimore company that makes mining and pumping equipment - provided fodder for Republicans. They noted that the company president had, just the day before, testified on Capitol Hill in support of the Keystone XL pipeline, which the Obama administration has delayed for years over environmental concerns.

Laboratory tests show that oil washing up on Northern California beaches did not come from the cargo ship that slammed into the Bay Bridge last fall. Investigators say tar balls found this week from Pacifica to Monterey probably came from naturally occurring pools of oil beneath the sea floor. California Department of Fish and Game Lt. Brian Arnold said heavy storms were typically responsible for washing oil ashore during the winter. The Cosco Busan leaked 58,000 gallons of toxic bunker fuel into San Francisco Bay after hitting a bridge support in November.

Despite bitter attacks in recent weeks, the two candidates for mayor of Los Angeles grudgingly conceded in a debate Sunday night that their rival was (mostly) honest and not so different on many of the plans they have for leading the city. That didn't mean City Councilman Eric Garcetti and Controller Wendy Greuel didn't find plenty of opportunity for attacks on each other's trustworthiness and independence. But they also laid out records that they said made them most qualified to replace Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is leaving office June 30 after serving the maximum two terms.

OIL: As oil prices continue to slump, major U.S. oil firms likely will revise capital spending plans downward, with the oil hunt focused overseas. Independent producers will struggle to afford domestic oil exploration. Consumers will benefit from lower prices.

Magnus Walker steps between the scarred carcasses of Porsche 911s lining his garage wall. He pauses and points to a gaping hole where the car's front hood should be. "Cars in here have to die," he says, "so others can live. " With a chest-length beard and finger-thick dreadlocks, the 45-year-old English immigrant doesn't look like a prototypical buttoned-down Porsche collector. But for more than a decade, Walker has worked in downtown L.A.'s arts district, transforming scrap heaps into one-off custom 911s, earning him the nickname "Urban Outlaw.

Many automobile owners are spending more than they need on motor oil, believing that it should be changed every 3,000 miles even though almost no manufacturer requires such an aggressive oil-change schedule. The long-held notion that the oil should be changed every 3,000 miles is so prevalent that California officials have launched a campaign to stop drivers from wasting millions of gallons of oil annually because they have their vehicles serviced too often. "Our survey data found that nearly half of California drivers are still changing their oil at 3,000 miles or even sooner," said Mark Oldfield, a spokesman for the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery, which has launched the Check Your Number campaign to encourage drivers to go with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Country Dancing at Oil Can Harry's Where: 11502 Ventura Blvd., Studio City When: 7:30-11:30 p.m. Tuesday; 7:30 p.m. -12:30 a.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday Price: $3 Tuesdays and Thursday Info: (818) 760-9749; http://www.oilcanharrysla.com

Re "Shell Alaska vessel hinders drilling," July 8 Personally, I'm against any drilling in the Arctic. Even if no oil is spilled during Shell's operations this summer, its fleet will release tons of industrial pollutants in the air every year, which would add to the levels of toxic chemicals and acid in the Arctic waters. Environmental and wildlife concerns aside, though, it still doesn't seem reasonable to expend so much costly effort on oil, a finite resource. If making money is a concern, Shell should figure out a way to fill the void when oil runs out. Helen Yi Rancho Cucamonga ALSO: Letters: One ID, one vote Letters: Licensing pet groomers Letters: Contrasting George and Mitt Romney

What is a barrel of oil worth? Generally, the answer depends on a number of factors, including the mood of the commodities markets, the grade of the oil and demand at the gas pump. The basic assumption, however, is that the oil has a value because it eventually will be available for use. But in a historic move, Ecuador is asking the world to put a dollar figure on oil that will not be used — oil it intends to protect from excavation. On Tuesday, Ecuador and the United Nations Development Programme began soliciting donations for a trust fund that would remunerate the country if it forgoes drilling in a pristine portion of its Amazon rain forest for 10 years.

Occidental Petroleum shareholders ousted Chairman and former Chief Executive Ray Irani in a dramatic annual meeting that signaled the end of an era for the storied oil and gas producer. It concluded a nearly three-decade run as a director of the Los Angeles company for the 78-year-old Irani. He first took the reins as CEO in 1990 from oil industry legend Armand Hammer. Back then, Occidental was considered something of a joke in the industry, with far-flung holdings in such odd areas as film production and horse and cattle breeding.

Stanley A. Dashew, an inventor and entrepreneur who helped revolutionize the credit card industry, died of natural causes Thursday in Los Angeles, according to a family spokesman. He was 96. Dashew held 40 patents in fields as diverse as credit card processing, mining, mass transit, medical equipment and offshore oil transportation. He also was an avid sailor, writer and photographer who late in life wrote for the Christian Science Monitor and the Huffington Post. At 94, he distilled his insights about life and business in a book, "You Can Do It: Inspiration and Lessons from an Inventor, Entrepreneur, and Sailor.

As much as I love great olive oil, I also recognize that depending on how you're using it, you don't always need the most expensive. As a general rule, I use good olive oil for cooking; great olive oil for making salad dressings; and the very best olive oil when it is being drizzled over an item as a "finishing oil. " Some of my favorite brands are: Alziari, Capezzana, Castello di Ama, Fontodi, Monini DOP, Núñez de Prado and Olio Verde. When shopping for olive oil: Look for olive oil that comes in a non-clear bottle; a good oil's herbaceous qualities are destroyed by heat and light.

  1 hour, plus setting times. Serves 8 Chocolate glaze 1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, preferably 70% Cordillera 2 tablespoons corn syrup 2 tablespoons brandy 1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons butter, cubed 1. Cut the chocolate into 2-inch pieces. In a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate with butter and corn syrup over barely simmering water. (The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl or the chocolate will burn.) Turn off the heat, stir in brandy and let mixture stand over warm water until ready to use. Bittersweet chocolate tartufo 1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate (preferably 70% Cordillera)

Traditionally, working folk dreamed of retiring to California to grow citrus, or more recently wine grapes, but these days the second career crop of choice appears to be artisanal olive oil. Fresh, local oil is all the rage; universities and industry groups help guide aspiring growers, and once their groves start bearing, many sell at farmers markets, where they earn premium prices and enjoy schmoozing with shoppers. Mark Mooring of Buon Gusto Farms followed an unusual version of this path, from starting the Los Angeles Police Department K-9 Platoon to growing olives in Ventura, where he produces richly flavored, award-winning oils.

Dario's olive oil cake 1½ hours, plus soaking time. Serves 20 to 24 (2 cakes) 1 cup (5 ounces) plump raisins (preferably flame raisins) 3/4 cup Vin Santo 3 whole oranges 3 extra-large eggs 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 20 grams Italian leavening (substitute: 10 grams, or about 1 tablespoon, baking soda and 10 grams, or 1 scant tablespoon, baking powder) 3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) pastry flour 2/3 cup toasted pine nuts Fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnish 1. Bring the raisins and the Vin Santo to a simmer in a small saucepan, then immediately remove from the heat.

A cap placed atop a gushing well on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico could allow BP officials to begin pumping oil to the surface later Friday, the Coast Guard admiral leading the response to the disaster said, but he warned that strong winds had sent oil surging to the Florida Panhandle and had split the disaster into several slicks that would strain the resources available to clean them up. "The scope of this thing is starting to extend to...

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel ramped up her attacks on chief rival Eric Garcetti on Thursday, alleging that his family's financial connections to a controversial oil drilling operation at Beverly Hills High School has endangered children and raised questions about the authenticity of his environmental credentials. Days before voters head to the polls, Greuel pounced on a Times article this week detailing Garcetti's interest in a 20-year lease with Venoco Inc. In 1998, Garcetti and family members signed a lease with the oil company granting them subsurface drilling rights to a Beverly Hills retail property co-owned by the councilman.

Call me old-fashioned, but I am not a fan of the current trend wherein bacon, avocado and other ingredients normally considered staples of savory cooking are used to make desserts, instead of, say, a BLT. The only exception to this rule, and it's an exception I make more than once, is olive oil. Although we normally think of olive oil as something to use to make a vinaigrette, sauté soffrito or season meat, when used in a dessert, the flavor of...

Olive oil gelato 1 hour, plus refrigerating and freezing times. Serves 8 6 extra-large egg yolks 1/4 cup cornstarch 3 cups whole milk 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup finishing-quality extra-virgin olive oil 1. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a smaller bowl inside....